Ripples
by Leonhart17
Summary: COMPLETE Tara has been brought back to life immediately following the end of 'Chosen.' How will the future change for the Scoobies? There WILL be spoilers for the comics, but there's no need to have read them to enjoy the story! An AU season 8
1. Prologue

Okay, I started re-reading this and all the simple sentences were just about killing me, so I've been editing it. Hope it reads better!

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They were all standing there staring at the crater that was all that was left of their hometown. The newly awakened slayers that were left were lingering near the bus, hesitant to interrupt the group near the edge of the pit.

Dawn spoke up after a long moment. "So what are we going to do now?" No one could see Buffy's face but everyone knew she was smiling. The Slayer turned away from the remnants of Sunnydale to look at her friends. Willow and Xander glanced at each other and stepped forward, both extending their arms to wrap around Buffy. The three of them stood there in silence, just holding onto each other. Words weren't necessary. Giles stepped forward from the back of the group and they opened their circle to include him, still silent. Dawn felt her eyes start to tear up as she watched her family embrace.

After a long moment they pulled back, Willow and Xander keeping their arms curled around Buffy's shoulders. Dawn started to move forward to hug her sister, but there was a bright flash and Willow and Xander had to catch themselves as Buffy vanished out from under their arms.

Buffy blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden dimness. She looked around slowly, unconsciously flexing her fingers around a nonexistent stake as she tried to assess her surroundings. Around her was a circular room covered in white marble. There was an archway directly in front of her on the opposite side of the chamber. Standing inside the opening were a pale couple wearing what looked like togas and garlands of golden leaves in their hair.

They appeared to be empty handed so Buffy relaxed slightly. "Who are you?" she asked simply, turning to face them, her back to the wall.

The two beings met her gaze evenly and the female spoke confidently. "We are the representatives of the Powers that Be. You are the Slayer, Buffy Summers."

Buffy remembered hearing Angel mention the Powers that Be and relaxed slightly. "Is there something you need from me?" she asked, mentally resigning herself to another huge battle against evil, even as her soul cried out for rest, for peace. She feared it would never happen and tried to push her hopes to the background.

The two beings glanced at each other and the male smiled gently. "No, Buffy Summers, we do not require anything from you. You have done your task well so far."

The female spoke next. "We have brought you here to offer you a gift."

Buffy couldn't help but frown. The two had all but confirmed that her work was not done. With a sigh, she responded. "What kind of gift?"

"We will grant you one wish. You may ask for anything and we will do it." The female's unnaturally calm voice didn't reveal the immensity of her words.

Buffy was stunned and hesitant. "You can't mean _anything_. Anything I want?" The possibilities were rushing through her mind. She could get her mother back. She could get Angel back. She could be a normal girl. She could bring the town back. Spike.

The male spoke again, "Anything is within our power." Her mind was reeling as she tried to think.

"How much time do I have to decide?"

"Time doesn't move here as it does in your world. Take as much time as you require," he responded, seemingly content to wait interminably.

Buffy leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes as the enormity washed over her. She could ask for _anything_. Slowly she sank to the floor, her legs bent up in front of her. She let her mind wander, trying to figure out what she should ask for. Her first thought was for her mother. Her dear mother. She could get her mom back, get her life back, with one simple statement. But she hesitated. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother was in heaven and she couldn't contemplate pulling her out the same way she herself had been removed from that beautiful place.

Her second thought was of Angel. Her love. She could get his soul restored permanently. They could be together. But would she go to L.A.? Could she live there and help him with his cases? Would he give it up to come with her? Could they fit into each other's lives anymore?

As she struggled with her desires, her thoughts turned to her friends. She could bring Anya back. She could give Xander a chance to be happy again. If he and Anya could work out their problems...

She froze on the floor as the next idea came to her in a rush. Tara. Oh God, she could get Tara back. Willow's love had died because a crazy man had shot at Buffy herself. They had just started to work out their issues. They had had their chance to be happy stolen from them by a stray bullet. She felt the breath rush out of her lungs as tears welled in her eyes. She opened her eyes and blinked up at the standing beings.

"I think I know what I want." Her voice was a little choked as she stood up, trying to comprehend what was going to change if she was able to get Tara back. The pair met her eyes calmly and both had small smiles on their faces.

"You have but to ask," the female said, still smiling as Buffy took a deep breath and unconsciously rolled her shoulders.

"I want Tara Maclay returned to life and sent back to Earth with me," she stated slowly, trying to be precise.

The entry behind the two beings grew brighter and they separated to either side as Tara stepped through. The pair moved back silently as they watched the proceedings. The blonde witch looked around slowly, smiling widely as she saw Buffy standing there, tears streaming down her face. The Slayer moved forward in a rush, hugging her friend tightly to her.

"How did I get here?" Tara asked, unbelievingly. "I can't believe this."

Buffy kept her arms around Tara's neck. "They brought me here…and…and they gave me a wish. And…you're really here," she breathed as she pulled back to look into Tara's face. "How much do you remember?" She couldn't stop herself from asking, wondering how much the other girl had seen.

Tara grew more serious as she tried to think. "Well, I remember Warren…and what happened afterwards, with Willow." Buffy swallowed as she thought of what Willow had done. "You don't have to explain anything, Buffy. I know she regrets it, and I've seen everything that she's done to get better."

"She has gotten better," Buffy hastened to assure her friend.

Tara stopped her quickly, "I know, Buffy. I've been keeping my eyes on her since I've…been gone." She paused heavily, tears welling up in her eyes as she continued. "I saw that girl…Kennedy." Her voice was thick while she tried to control her emotions. "Does…does Willow…d-does she love her?" Her stuttering didn't conceal the fear in her voice.

Buffy's tears rolled as she hugged Tara again. "No…she loves you. I know she does. Losing you almost killed her. She's only done what she had to do to survive it." The Slayer's voice was almost frantic as she held Tara while the tears flowed. The witch was sobbing in her arms and Buffy couldn't do anything but hold her friend as she wept. After a long moment Tara pulled back, wiping at her eyes while trying to control her sniffling. Buffy smiled at her and shifted her gaze to the pair of silently watching beings still lingering by the entrance.

"When can we go home?"

The two beings exchanged a look and the male spoke. "We can return you as soon as you wish." Buffy nodded and looked back at Tara.

"You ready to go home? I know everyone is going to be excited to see you." Tara could only nod, unable to speak through her tears. "We'll wait just a minute and try and calm down," Buffy suggested, wiping her own tears. Tara smiled gratefully, still struggling to control her crying.

After several minutes, Tara straightened up and took a deep breath. Buffy couldn't help smiling and turned to stand beside her friend, facing the two beings. "What do we have to do? We're ready to go home."

The female stepped forward and bowed her head. "Buffy Summers, you have done the world a great service and have received your reward. Go in peace."

There was a bright flash and the two girls found themselves standing several yards away from the school bus that contained the survivors of the battle. No one inside the bus was looking in their direction so Buffy guessed when she traveled to see the Powers that Be she had disappeared from the other side of the bus.

Tara was looking around immediately for Willow, but Buffy gently stopped her, whispering, "Wait. I want to surprise Willow."

Tara looked amused and whispered back, "I'm pretty sure that's a guarantee, Buffy."

The Slayer couldn't contain her joy and rolled her eyes as she hugged her again. "Let me hold your shoes."

Tara rolled her eyes again, but leaned over to slip off her shoes, handing them over to Buffy. The Slayer grinned widely and they snuck over to the bus, careful to keep out of sight. They could hear raised voices on the other side of the bus, Willow and Xander's easily discernible. Buffy winked at Tara and held up one finger. Tara put her head next to Buffy's and whispered, "Just hurry. I want to see her." The Slayer's grin slipped into a gentle smile and she squeezed her friend's hand.

"You'll have all the time in the world. But I'll hurry." Tara smiled back as more tears welled up.

Holding up Tara's shoes, which an abstract part of her mind noticed were fairly cute, she walked quietly around the side of the bus. The girls were mingling around watching their leaders panic. Buffy gently pushed her way forward and could hear the muffled whispering cease as she moved toward her family. She couldn't hold back her smile as she saw Willow and Xander panicking at Giles. He looked like he was trying to remain calm, but she could tell he had been running his hands through his hair. Faith was idly fiddling with one of her knives and distractedly shuffling her feet.

Dawn saw her first and pushed in between Willow and Xander to get to her. Buffy wrapped her sister in a tight hug and closed her eyes. She felt the rest of the group close in around them and she extended her hands to pull the rest of their family into her embrace.

After a long moment she released Dawn and they loosened their circle. Several voices clamored over each other and she smiled at them, holding her hand up to silence them.

"Where were you, Buff? Where did you go? You just disappeared!" Xander couldn't keep silent and she rolled her eyes at him.

Buffy cleared her throat as she looked at them. "Well, actually, the Powers that Be took me to visit them." Giles opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Dawn stepped on his foot before he could say anything, shooting a look up at him. Buffy grinned openly at this and continued, "They gave me a wish in return for all of my good work as the Slayer."

Giles' mouth dropped open and he couldn't restrain himself. "Buffy! That's astounding! What…?"

Xander and Dawn cut him off, speaking simultaneously, "What did you wish for?"

Buffy couldn't stop herself from looking straight into Willow's eyes as she lifted the shoes she had dangling off of her fingers. Willow's jaw dropped and she spoke for the first time, "Buffy, you used your wish for shoes?" Her voice was incredulous and shrill as she stared at her best friend.

A smirk crossed Buffy's face as she felt hands on her back, gently moving her to the side. She kept her eyes locked on Willow as she side-stepped and Tara moved forward.

Willow kept her eyes on Buffy's face, only glancing to the side when she saw something move in her peripheral vision. As she saw Tara standing there with a cautious smile on her face all of the feeling rushed out of Willow's knees and she started to fall. Everyone moved forward to catch her, but Tara got there first and supported her lover as she collapsed. Tara slid to her knees, holding Willow's head to her shoulder, rocking them back and forth, murmuring into Willow's hair as tears streamed down both faces.

Buffy couldn't stop herself from crying as she looked away to meet everyone's gaze. There was a teary smile on Xander's face and he put his arm around Buffy's shoulder, squeezing her. Dawn was crying quietly, a huge smile on her face as she watched. Buffy put her free arm around her sister and pressed a kiss to her hair.

Giles had tears in his eyes as he met Buffy's gaze and nodded, his feelings apparent as he stared at her. "I've never been prouder of you, dear one." His voice was quiet and she couldn't contain her tears at the rarely heard endearment.

Tara slowly helped Willow stand up, supporting her the whole time. She pressed a kiss to her cheek and Willow turned her head to meet her lover's lips. The arm that wasn't under Willow's shoulders came up and Tara threaded her fingers into Willow's hair. After a long moment they broke their kiss and Willow moved a step away from her returned lover to throw her arms around Buffy.

"Thank you…" Her words came out in a rush, but she was unable to get more out as she started crying again.

Buffy tightened the hug as Willow buried her face in her shoulder. "My pleasure, Willow." Her voice was quiet and she met Tara's gaze over Willow's shoulder.

Xander, Giles, and Dawn moved forward to hug Tara while Buffy kept hugging her best friend. The other slayers were standing around in stunned silence, watching the proceedings in a trance.

Kennedy was near the front of the crowd and couldn't stop herself from staring. She had feelings for Willow, but it was obvious from the second that the redhead had set eyes on the newly arrived blonde girl that her own chance with the powerful witch was done. As she stood there staring at the blatant love that the two witches shared, she felt fingers slide across her shoulder and she looked to the side and saw an Asian girl she'd never really talked to.

"I'm sorry," the other girl whispered. Kennedy couldn't stop herself from taking a shuddering deep breath as she looked back at the scene in front of them. The girl slid her arm across Kennedy's shoulder and the confident, brash slayer allowed herself a moment of weakness and leaned her head on the shoulder her new friend was providing. "I'm Satsu," she whispered, squeezing Kennedy's shoulders.

Buffy slowly released Willow from her hug and the redhead immediately moved back to her lover, unable to keep the smile from her face as their hands touched.

Buffy turned to look at the rest of the slayers, smirking as she noticed the expression on Faith's face. The other senior Slayer just smirked back.

When Buffy started to talk the other slayers unconsciously straightened up, listening. "This is Tara," she stated, gesturing to the pair standing beside her. "She'll be coming with us." She let her gaze scan the crowd, trying to meet the gaze of all of the girls staring back at her.

"Who's ready to go find a new home?"

The crowd let out a cheer and the girls moved back toward the bus. Buffy lingered in the back of the group and watched as her family, finally complete again, boarded the vehicle. She didn't know where they were headed or where they would end up but they were together and they would be alright.


	2. Chapter 1

It was well past dark when the bus full of slayers pulled into the parking lot of the Hyperion Hotel. Wesley greeted them at the doors, shaking hands with Giles as the elder Watcher climbed off the bus. "Do you think you can put us up for the night?" Giles asked, free hand fiddling absently with the frames of his glasses.

Wesley could see the exhaustion radiating from his friend in waves, and he nodded. "Absolutely. Angel's out at a meeting, but I'm confident he'll have no problem with it." The two men moved away from the bus and Giles gestured to the girls inside it.

"Come on down, girls, but don't leave the lobby. We'll see about getting rooms as soon as possible."

The slayers clattered noisily off the bus into the hotel, Robin in the lead. Willow, Dawn, Xander, and Faith lingered in the parking lot, Willow still clinging to Tara. Buffy climbed off last, greeting Wesley with a hug. "You sure Angel won't care if we crash here?"

The former Watcher just smiled. "You know he won't. He'd never turn you away." He looked at the rest of the group. "Any of you are always welcome here." He glanced toward the lobby. "Now, let's see about getting you settled in and you can fill us in on what's happened."

The slayers that were already in the lobby didn't pay attention when their leaders entered the hotel, ignoring them until Xander whistled shrilly. "Listen up!" he yelled, gesturing to Giles.

The Watcher shot a glance at Xander as he stepped forward, "Yes, well, as you've probably guessed we'll be staying here for at least tonight. The proprietors of this hotel are old friends. They've given us the top two floors of the hotel for our own use. There should be enough rooms for you to only have to share two to a room. If you'll come forward, I'll distribute keys."

After a few minutes most of the slayers were heading up the stairs. Buffy noticed Kennedy lingering near the stairs, a key ring hanging from her finger. The other slayer's eyes were locked on Willow. Buffy glanced at the redheaded witch, noticing that her friend's attention was only for Tara. The Slayer broke away from their group and approached Kennedy.

"Hey, is there something wrong?" She had a feeling she knew exactly what was wrong with the other slayer, but she waited to see what Kennedy would say.

The dark-haired girl was still scowling at the pair of witches and Buffy moved in front of her line of sight. Kennedy blinked and focused on her leader. "I was waiting on Willow. I got a double room for us."

Buffy swallowed and put a hand to her forehead. "Kennedy," she spoke slowly. "You know who that is with Willow, right?" The other girl nodded, her gaze flickering back to the new witch. "I'm sure Willow told you about her. There are going to be a lot of things changing for us. We're all going to need time to figure out what's going to happen." Kennedy just scowled and Buffy cleared her throat. "Give her time, Kennedy. Willow and Tara need to talk. We all need to talk." She made sure she was looking straight into the other slayer's eyes. "She'll talk to you later. For tonight, back off." Kennedy opened her mouth to protest, but the look in Buffy's eyes convinced her to drop it. With a sigh, she nodded and turned up the stairs.

Buffy rubbed her eyes and rejoined the group at the counter. Dawn nudged her sister's shoulder and whispered, "Everything okay?" Buffy nodded and put her arm around Dawn's waist. "Guys, Buffy looks beat. Can we head upstairs?"

Giles pulled a key out of the pocket of his jacket. "I saved us this. They're in a suite. Three rooms for the girls and Xander and I will share. There's a small kitchen and Wesley tells me they have a shared living room so we can talk privately there."

The group wearily trudged up the stairs, Buffy leaning more heavily on her sister as she climbed to the fifth floor. Willow still hadn't released Tara, but it didn't look like the blonde witch minded at all or had any intention of releasing Willow. Xander and Giles brought up the end of the group. Wesley remained at the base of the stairs. "I'll send Angel up when he gets back. He'll be happy to see you."

Giles unlocked their suite and the group silently sealed themselves inside. Dawn lowered Buffy and herself onto the nearest couch while Xander threw himself into an armchair, his feet hanging over the armrest. Willow pulled Tara with her onto a loveseat, curling up as close to her as she could get without climbing into her lap. Tara put her arm around the redhead's shoulders and slid her free hand onto her love's knee, trying to keep her calm. Giles took the last armchair and Faith leaned herself against the foot of Buffy and Dawn's couch, rolling her shoulders as she slipped to the floor.

There was a long moment of silence as they all stared at each other. Xander spoke up first, "So… Tara's back."

Dawn grinned and chimed in, "We kinda already knew that, Xander. She was on the bus with us for three hours."

"I know that, but I'd kinda like to hear the whole story. You know, with details and stuff. You up for it, Buff?"

The Slayer was obviously exhausted, but she leaned away from Dawn, sitting up slowly. "I can handle it. I was going to stay up and wait for Angel, and we need to figured out some kind of plan, and…"

Giles interrupted her gently. "Buffy, we can work on a plan in the morning. I don't think Angel will be in a rush to throw us out. We have time to regroup. For tonight you can just share with us what happened with the Powers That Be." His Slayer just nodded and rubbed her eyes. Her voice was slow as she related her visit with the Powers and her decision to bring Tara back. She finished her story and Willow spoke up after a moment.

"How did you decide to bring back Tara and not your mom? Not that I'm not grateful or so happy, but I just…there are so many other things you could have done…" Tara moved her hand from Willow's knee to cover her lover's mouth.

"You're babbling, sweetie," she said quietly, moving her fingers across Willow's jaw.

Buffy glanced from her best friend to her sister, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Well, I thought about Mom first…but I just couldn't do it. If I brought her back into this she'd be frantic all the time and I don't want her anywhere near the things we have to deal with. Not that I want you in danger, Tara," she clarified. "But you are more capable of dealing with our realities than Mom ever was. Not that she didn't try to help and be supportive," she clarified again, reaching over to take her sister's hand.

"Dawn, I don't want you to hate me for not bringing Mom back when I had the chance. Do you understand why I didn't do it? She loved you, loved us both, more than anything. But to bring her back here and now would have been cruel for all of us. It would be dangerous for her, and I can't protect her all the time. She could have been taken from us in a much worse way. I couldn't tempt fate that way. I couldn't have lost her again. Do you get it?" She was trying hard to read her sister's expression. Tears were streaming down the younger Summers' face, but she nodded to her sister.

Buffy leaned to pull her sister into a tight hug, tears running down her own face. "Are we okay?" There was scarcely heard fear in the Slayer's voice. Dawn nodded again, still clinging to her older sister.

Willow swallowed her own tears and leaned over to touch her best friend's knee. "I'm so sorry, Buffy, Dawn. We all miss your mom. I wouldn't have been able to make that decision. Thank you."

Tara turned her face from Willow to look at Buffy. "I just wanted to say thank you too, Buffy. You gave me my life back."

The Slayer met her friend's gaze seriously and took a deep breath. "Are you sure you should be thanking me? I pulled you out of heaven." There was no doubt in her mind that the sweet, gentle witch had been in a happy place. "I hesitated to pull my own mom out of there, but turned around and did it to you. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Tara looked over at Willow before looking back at Buffy. She squeezed Willow's hand and stood up, moving across the living room to kneel in front of Buffy. She leaned forward and pulled Buffy into a hug. "It was beautiful there, and I was happy." Her friend started to pull back from the hug and she could hear Willow's sharp intake of breath behind her. Tara just tightened her hold on Buffy. "But, I'm happy here too. I saw you all from there and I missed you all so much. And now I'm back." She took a deep breath. "And I'm not going anywhere." She released Buffy slowly, sitting back on her heels to look into the Slayer's face. "Are you okay with that?"

Buffy could hear Willow's strangled noise but she kept her eyes on Tara. "Tara, it's your life, you can do anything you want." She paused for a long moment. "But I know I don't just speak for myself when I say that we love you and would love to have you stay with us. We're not sure exactly where we're going or what we're going to do when we get there, but I know that we want you with us." Dawn leaned forward in her seat and gently touched Tara's shoulder, nodding with tears in her eyes. Willow moved off the couch in a rush, wrapping her arms tightly around Tara's waist from behind, leaning her head against her lover's shoulder. Tara leaned back into Willow, lifting one hand to her red hair.

Giles leaned forward in his armchair and spoke slowly, almost hesitantly. "Tara, how much could you see from where you were?" Willow stiffened against Tara and squeezed her eyes shut, tears running down her face. Xander slowly swung his legs around to sit up straight in his chair. Willow started to slide her hands off of Tara's waist, pulling back, but the blonde put her own hands on top of Willow's, stopping her from moving.

Tara met Giles' eyes and glanced back at Buffy before she turned on her knees to face Willow, keeping her hands tight on Willow's. She took a deep breath as she answered Giles' question, speaking directly to her crying lover. Squeezing her fingers, Tara moved one hand up to touch Willow's face. "I saw everything. I saw what happened with the magic, with Warren…the fight with Buffy…what happened with Xander."

Willow was crying harder now, her face dropping. Tara moved forward so that her lover's head rested on her shoulder, her fingers curling around Willow's neck, slipping into her hair. Her gaze met Xander's and he smiled at her, tears in his eyes. She smiled back through her own tears. She had to swallow before she could speak again, shifting her gaze to Giles. "And I saw what happened in England. I've seen how hard you worked to control the magic. I saw how well you did with the slayer spell. Baby, I saw all of it." She lost control of her voice, choking up. "I-I-I sa-saw K-K-Ken-Kennedy."

Dawn looked sharply at Buffy, realizing what her sister had been talking about on the stairs with the other slayer. Buffy returned her sister's look, her expression strained. Willow couldn't stop a sob and she tried to lean away from Tara. This time the blonde witch let her go, leaning back against Buffy's legs. Tears were rolling down her face and she began to sob, trying to control her breathing. The tension in the air was practically physical as the others stared at the crying couple on the floor. Tara squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her head back against Buffy's knees.

The Slayer leaned down slowly and whispered into her friend's ear. "She loves you, Tara. I know she does. And you know it too."

Tara nodded and wiped her tears, looking at Willow. She took several deep breaths and leaned forward to touch Willow on the shoulder. "I u-u-un-understand if y-y-you-u l-l-lo-lo-lov-e…" Her voice faded away as the tears came again in a rush.

Willow looked up sharply, scared. She could hear her heart thundering in her head, sure that it had never beat so fast before. "Tara, baby, no…I don't know…I love you." Her hands flew to Tara's face, touching her frantically. "I told her…I told her that I wasn't into women…just one woman…just you. I love you, Tara. You're my everything. We're supposed to be forever." Her voice was high and unsteady and her hands didn't stop moving on Tara's face and hair and neck. "It just happened…baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you. Please forgive me." She could barely breathe and she knew that if, after all of this, getting her back after so long, if she lost Tara again she wasn't sure she would survive it.

Tara leaned on one of Willow's hands, trapping it between her face and shoulder. Willow's hand curled around her face, fingers dancing through her hair. "Shh, baby, it's okay. There's nothing for me to forgive. I just want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I just want you, Tara, baby, I just want you. You came back to me. I just want you back." Willow's voice was still high and frantic and Tara leaned forward to wrap her arm around her. Willow's arms went around Tara and she hugged her tightly, her head dropping onto Tara's shoulder.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you." She held onto Willow, leaning back to pull her lover with her into her lap. Her back touched the couch and she slid an arm down to Willow's waist.

Willow kept her face buried in Tara's shoulder and Buffy leaned down on the other side of Tara's head. "Will, you know I'm with you whatever you decide, but I think you need to talk to Kennedy."

Dawn gasped loudly from her seat beside her sister. "Buffy!"

The Slayer quickly clarified, "I'm just saying that she deserves to hear the truth from you. I got her off your case for tonight, but I'm not sure how much past that she'll be willing to sit around and wait. You know how she is…"

Willow lifted her head slowly and met her best friend's eyes with a nod. "I know, I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Xander stood up out of his chair quickly, and forced some enthusiasm into his voice. "Well kiddos, it's very late and we've all had a very _long_ day and we could all use some sleep."

Giles took his hint and stood up as well, uncomfortable with the emotions still thick in the air. "Yes. Xander is correct. We should pick this back up in the morning, after we've all had a chance to rest."

Just then there was a quiet knock on the door, drawing everyone's eyes to Buffy. Faith stood up quietly, Buffy right behind her. Faith grasped the door knob, Buffy standing close beside her. The dark-haired Slayer opened the door with a jerk.

Angel raised his hands on the other side. "I come in peace." Buffy moved quickly into Angel's arms, melting into him. "It's good to see you too. I didn't expect you so soon, but I'm glad you're here."

He moved into the room as Faith stepped back, keeping his arms wrapped around Buffy. Dawn scooted over on the couch and the vampire seated himself at the end, Buffy curling into his support. Xander and Giles were still standing and they exchanged glances. "It's wonderful to see you again too Angel, but it's very late and we were about to retire. Perhaps we can continue this in the morning?"

Faith stretched her arms above her head. "That's my cue to exit, too. I'm gonna go look for Robin so you guys don't have to share." She tossed her key to Xander and the two men exchanged a relieved glance.

Buffy spoke up from her spot against Angel's shoulder, "Dawn, you should be going to bed too. It's late."

Dawn opened her mouth to retort, but a yawn escaped and she closed her mouth with a click. Buffy reassured her quickly. "I can't keep my eyes open too much longer anyway. I'll just give Angel the abridged version and I'll join you soon." She paused. "Unless one of you wants to bunk with Dawn?"

Willow and Tara looked at each other for a long moment and Tara spoke slowly. "I don't think I could sleep without her." Dawn grinned widely and let out a small squeal.

"Well, that's settled," Buffy said, stretching her arms, leaving one curled around Angel's shoulder. "Everyone to bed." Xander coughed and Buffy quickly amended her statement. "Everyone to bed except for me and Angel because we will be in separate beds and will be out here _talking_ in the mean time." She was blushing brightly and Angel couldn't stop his smile.

Willow stood up out of Tara's lap, Xander's hand coming down to pull her to her feet. She turned around and helped her lover up, wrapping her arm around her waist. Faith headed out the door of their suite with a wave over her shoulder. "Later."

Xander stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Tara's cheek. "I'm glad you're back. I think Buffy made a good decision. You always were the best of us." His voice was quiet and he turned into his bedroom before anyone could respond. The door shut behind him with a click and Giles cleared his throat.

"Yes…well…I happen to quite agree with Xander. Which is enough of an odd occurrence to demand that I immediately retire to bed before anything more peculiar happens tonight."

Buffy stared at her Watcher for a long moment. "Giles, how can you use words that big after…" She tried to check her watch before realizing that she wasn't wearing one. "Well, after whatever time it is."

Angel opened his mouth to speak, but Giles interrupted. "I really do not think we need to know what time it is. I'm off to bed. Good night all." His door shut behind him quickly and Buffy shifted her hip to get the key to her room from her back pocket, handing it to Dawn.

"Here, you go on and I'll be in soon." Dawn rolled her eyes and glanced at her sister's one time lover.

"Uh huh. Good night, Angel." As she stood up, she hugged Willow and Tara tightly to her. "I _so _love you guys." They all smiled at that and Tara gently pushed her toward her door.

"Get some sleep, Dawnie. We'll all be here in the morning. I'll see if Angel has the supplies for me to make us some pancakes," Tara assured her, smiling.

"Ooh, funny shapes?" Dawn asked eagerly.

Tara's smile widened into a grin and she nodded. "Absolutely. Anything you want."

The younger girl went into her bedroom without complaint, leaving Willow and Tara alone with Buffy and Angel. The vampire spoke quietly, "I know I missed a lot, and I don't mean any offense, but weren't you dead?"

Tara nodded and smiled. "None taken. Buffy got me back." She glanced at her friend. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it. And I'll answer anything else you want to know in the morning, but I'm exhausted and Willow's worse so I think we'll head to bed." The red head was leaning heavily on Tara's shoulder and she didn't want her to fall asleep standing up. Angel nodded politely and the girls walked to the bedroom. The door didn't close behind them and Buffy and Angel could hear Tara murmuring to Willow. After a moment the blonde's head poked back out of the room. "Um, Angel, do you have any stuff to make pancakes?"

The vampire smiled and nodded. "There should be some down in the kitchen. I'll make sure it gets up here before you wake up in the morning."

"Thank you." The weary witch smiled slowly and went back into her room, closing the door behind her.

Buffy leaned back against Angel and slowly forced her body to relax. She opened her mouth to speak but could barely stifle a yawn. Angel couldn't help but smile. "So much for Slayer stamina," he teased, squeezing her shoulder. She opened her mouth again, but he spoke first. "Buffy, we can talk in a little while. You're here, so I can guess there was a favorable outcome against the First. Wesley said Spike wasn't here so…" His voice trailed off as he felt a shuddering sigh rush through Buffy.

"He used the amulet. He saved us all." Her voice was thick and tired as she spoke.

He spoke again before she could continue, "It's okay, you can tell me about it later. What happened with Tara? I remember when you called and told me she had died…you told me it drove Willow crazy."

"It did. She was using dark magic and almost killed us all. But she worked through it and she's better now. She activated all the slayers."

Angel's eyes widened at the thought. "Poor other vampires," he murmured thoughtfully.

Buffy just smirked and continued, "Anyway, after the battle we escaped the city on the bus and stopped right outside of town at the edge of the crater and the Powers That Be took me to see them and they gave me a wish as a reward."

"And Tara's it…" Angel leaned down to plant a kiss on Buffy's hair. "You made the right decision, Buffy."

"I think so too," she said quietly, looking at the door the two witches had closed behind them.


	3. Chapter 2

It was still relatively early the next morning when Tara woke up. She tried to move, but there was a weight on her chest and her legs were tangled up in something she couldn't see. She kept her eyes closed as she tried to remember where she was. The events of the previous day came back in a rush and she slowly opened her eyes. A flash of red in her peripheral vision drew her attention and she smiled. Willow's head was on her chest, her thin arm thrown across the blonde's waist and one of her legs thrown over both of Tara's legs. She couldn't resist pressing a kiss to her lover's hair before gently moving the arm off of her waist. Willow made a small whimpering noise and Tara almost stopped trying to extricate herself from the bed. After a moment the other girl seemed calm and Tara squirmed her legs free. Carefully she slid the pillow she had been using under Willow's head as she moved her shoulder.

As she stood up Tara couldn't stop staring at the small girl she was leaving in bed. She could scarcely believe that she had been given yet another chance for happiness with the woman who possessed her soul. Tears welled up in her eyes and she retreated quietly to the bathroom to wash her face. She checked to make sure that Willow was still asleep before moving into the living room of their suite, closing the bedroom door behind her. No one else was awake, but Angel had been as good as his word and left all the ingredients for pancakes in the small refrigerator.

Humming quietly to herself, Tara started mixing the pancake batter, relying on the smell to rouse her friends. She only had a few pancakes off the griddle before there was a knock on the outer door of the suite. Assuming it was Angel or Faith, she moved to the door and opened it quickly. Standing on the other side was a dark-haired girl she instantly recognized as Kennedy.

"C-co-com-come in-n." She couldn't control her stutter as she stepped out of the doorway.

The slayer entered and blatantly looked Tara up and down. "Is Red here?"

Tara nodded. "A-a-asl-asleep."

Just then a door opened behind them and Buffy came out, shutting it behind her. "Hey, I smell…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed their guest. "Kennedy." Her voice was harder. "I told you to back off."

"You said to back off last night," the other slayer objected.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she moved to stand beside the almost trembling witch. "It's barely breakfast, Kennedy. Willow's still asleep. There's nothing you can do here. I'm sure Willow will talk to you later." The dark-haired slayer didn't move and Buffy pointedly put herself between Kennedy and Tara. "She'll see you later…Angel told me they would be serving breakfast down in the dining room on the main floor. Find out if anyone else is awake on this floor, and take them down to get something to eat." Buffy kept her eyes locked on Kennedy, and the dark-haired slayer finally scowled and nodded. Buffy shut the door firmly behind her and turned to look at her friend. "You okay, Tara?"

The blonde witch nodded and returned to the stove, sliding a burnt pancake off the griddle and taking a moment to gather herself. She'd meant it when she'd told Willow that there was nothing to forgive her for, but seeing her beloved's lover had been something she wasn't prepared for. She cleared her throat before she spoke, grateful when her voice stayed steady. "This one got burned, but there's still some good ones on the table if you want to get something to eat. Or did you want to eat with the other slayers?"

Buffy shook her head and sat down at the table. "It's the best or nothing for me. There's nothing better than Tara-pancakes," she stated firmly, meeting her friend's gaze solidly. Buffy's room door opened again and Dawn came out, sniffing hopefully.

"I agree!" she said loudly, wincing when Buffy shot her a look. "I mean, who could want anything but pancakes for breakfast?" she added, quietly this time. Tara still looked doubtful and Dawn hugged her adopted mother figure tightly before joining her sister at the table and helping herself to some pancakes. Xander's door opened with a bang and he unabashedly rushed to the table, ignoring Buffy's look as he joined Dawn in eating.

"What? I smelled food…" he said defensively around a mouthful. Tara smiled at his enthusiasm and turned back to the stove to flip over the next batch of pancakes.

"These will be ready in another minute." Everyone ate quickly, realizing as they did so how long it had been since they'd eaten at all. Giles joined them, but Willow was still a no-show after an hour so Buffy poked her head into the room the witch was staying in.

She was shocked to see the redhead curled up in the middle of the bed sobbing quietly, her arms locked around a pillow. "Willow, what's wrong? What happened?" She threw herself on the bed next to her best friend and the witch shifted, sobbing against Buffy's shoulder, her arms around the Slayer.

"I dreamed that Tara was back. She was here with us. And I woke up and she's still gone, but I can even smell her here and it's too much. I can't do this anymore." She was speaking in a rush, unable to calm down. Buffy smiled against her friend's hair and slowly pulled back.

"Will, it wasn't a dream. She's back. She didn't leave you, she was making breakfast. She's in the kitchen, just outside. She's been wondering if you were ever going to come out of here. Everyone else is already up." She paused. "Kennedy stopped by earlier. She was looking for you, but Tara answered the door…"

Willow sat straight up, suddenly serious. "Is Tara okay? Did Kennedy say anything to hurt her?"

Buffy shook her head and smiled. "I got in there pretty quick…I sent Kennedy to wake the others and send them down to breakfast. I did tell her that you would talk to her later today, though." Willow just nodded and glanced distractedly at the door of the bedroom. Buffy smiled and spoke up, "Hungry? Tara made funny shapes."

The two girls stood up and Willow went in the bathroom to clean up. "We really should see about getting more clothes. Since all of ours are now in a crater," she commented, holding her only shirt away from her body.

Buffy nodded and smiled. "That is something to think about…we should at least go get some pajamas or something for tonight." They entered the living room and everyone called greetings to their late arrival. Tara was sitting at the table and had to visibly restrain herself from going to meet her lover. She didn't have to wait long as Willow was just as excited to see her. The redhead was across the room in a flash, dropping herself into the blonde's lap and kissing her eagerly. Tara's surprise only lasted for a second before she was responding just as passionately, her arms sliding up Willow's back.

"Well, good morning, Willow!" Xander exclaimed with a grin as he helped himself to more pancakes.

Tara pulled back from the kiss slowly, breathing heavily as she rested her forehead against Willow's. "Don't take all the pancakes, Xander. Willow hasn't eaten yet."

Willow turned in Tara's lap to face the table and Xander cheerfully speared several pancakes onto a plate he pushed in front of her. "There you go, Will. Breakfast of champions."

The redhead grinned and dug into her food. Tara couldn't help smiling at her girl's enthusiasm and surrendered to her desire to lean forward and rest her head on Willow's back, her arms sliding around her thin waist.

Buffy sat down on the couch next to Giles, peeking at the book he was reading. "So what's next, Giles? Do we have a plan?"

The Watcher looked over at his Slayer and shook his head. "Not as of now. Do you have any suggestions?"

Buffy grinned and shook her head. "You know better than that, Giles. I'm not plan-girl, I'm Slay-gal."

Just then Faith knocked on the outer door, entering without waiting for acknowledgement. "Morning, everyone. The junior slayers are getting kinda restless. We got any kind of a plan?" She joined Buffy and Giles on the couch, snagging the last pancake out from under Xander's fork on the way over.

"We were just starting to discuss that actually, Faith. Are the other slayers going to be alright on their own for a while?"

Faith waved him off. "No sweat, G. Wes is loading them up in the bus to go shopping for new clothes and basic stuff." Buffy looked excited at the prospect of shopping and Faith smirked. "Don't worry, Buff. Angel said he'd take our group after sundown. You wouldn't have wanted to go shopping with forty girls anyway."

The other Slayer winced at the thought. "Good thinking sending them with Wesley." Giles looked like he was going to protest on the other man's behalf, but Buffy spoke again. "Giles, you're free to go with them if you want."

The Watcher grimaced and settled back on the couch. "I think I'll go with you all later. Much less hectic." He paused with a pointed look at Buffy. "Possibly." The blonde Slayer just grinned widely at her Watcher with a wink.

He cleared his throat and looked to the rest of the group. Willow was still in Tara's lap and Xander was leaning on his arm, staring as Faith finished the last of the pancake she had stolen. Dawn was lying on the love seat across from the couch her sister was occupying. Giles looked surprised when the youngest girl spoke up.

"I actually have something to suggest. It's not a long term plan, but it's somewhere to start. The spell Willow did activated all of the slayers, right?" Giles nodded and Dawn continued. "But they're not all with us…there's lots scattered all over the world. Maybe we could figure out a way to find them. They're going to need training since there's not a Watcher's council anymore. So, what if we could set up a school or something once we find them?"

Giles was silent for a long moment, looking impressed. "That is a wonderful idea, Dawn. It will take time and more resources than we have at the moment, but it is a very good idea. In the mean time we can start working on a way to find the other slayers. Tara, Willow do you have any ideas on a locator spell for slayers?"

Willow jerked guiltily away from Tara's lips when she heard her name. "Um, what?" The blonde underneath her was blushing crimson. "Locator spell? You need me to do a locator spell?" She swallowed and Giles dropped his head into his hand. Buffy was grinning widely and Dawn had her mouth covered by both hands, trying not to squeal out loud.

"For the remaining slayers. Do you and Tara think you could work something out to find them?" Giles wasn't looking at the couple, but there was a tiny smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

Tara spoke quickly from the table. "If we can get some books, I'm sure we can fix something to find them."

"Ah, yes that is something else we need to work on. All of my resources were destroyed along with Sunnydale so we'll have to begin trying to recollect new volumes. There should be some left at the remains of the Watcher's Council building, but obviously that is in England and there's no one left to send them to us so at some point in the future we'll have to go retrieve them. In the mean time, perhaps Wesley and Angel have something here that might prove useful."

Tara spoke again. "Willow and I can go down to the lobby and talk to Mr. Wesley and we can start researching. Unless you need us for any of the other planning?"

"Unless either of you have concerns that we should discuss, the research would be greatly appreciated. We should be able to make short term plans that will meet with both of your approval."

Both witches shook their heads and Willow reluctantly pulled herself out of Tara's lap and the blonde stood up out of her chair. Tara slipped her fingers through Willow's and the redhead let out a sigh as she smiled at her lover. They were heading out the door as Xander spoke, "I have a question…what are we going to eat for dinner?"

* * *

Wesley directed the witches to the main office of the hotel, where Angel Investigations housed most of their research volumes. The door had barely closed behind them before Willow had Tara pressed against it, kissing her deeply. She responded passionately, locking her hand behind her lover's head. "We haven't been alone at all today." The words were stuttered between kisses, Willow's mouth constantly moving against Tara's. The blonde couldn't do anything but return the kisses, not really wanting to stop. "God, Tara, I missed you so much. You can't imagine…" Tara broke the kiss slowly, leaning her forehead against Willow's.

"Actually, Willow, I can." She was trying to catch her breath. "I saw you every day and I couldn't talk to you or touch you. If it comes down to a vote, I have to argue that I win."

Willow shook her head with her eyes closed. "I couldn't even see you."

Tara smiled, kissing her lover again. "How about we call it a draw?"

"Agreed. Now why are we still talking about this?"

Tara shook her head. "No idea." Willow leaned in and kissed Tara again, immediately opening her mouth, pressing her body into her lover's, her hands sliding around Tara's back. A knock on the door behind them made her groan loudly, pulling herself back reluctantly.

"You know research doesn't work that fast, Buffy. We'll let you know when we find anything promising." Hoping that would be enough to dissuade her friend, she leaned back in to kiss Tara again, but before she could there was another knock on the door, louder this time. "Fine!" Willow responded loudly. "We're coming." She relaxed her grip on Tara and stepped back, freeing the blonde to step away from the door. Tara moved across the room to the bookcases in an effort to make it appear that they had been working while Willow opened the door. "We just got down here…" Tara turned to look at the doorway as she heard the redhead's voice trail off. "Kennedy. Hi."

The dark-haired slayer looked serious and glanced at Tara before she stepped forward to hug Willow. The powerful witch shrugged the other girl's arms off and stepped back. "I think we need to talk." Willow nodded, glancing back at Tara. "Can we go somewhere private?"

Willow swallowed. "Give me a minute and I'll meet you in the lobby. There's a patio off the lobby where we can talk." Kennedy glanced again at Tara and nodded, exiting the office. As soon as the door shut behind her, Willow moved across the room to her lover. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't expect her here. I thought the other slayers were gone…she must have stayed behind to talk to me." Tara shushed her gently and gave her a short kiss.

Tara looped her arms around Willow's shoulders, hugging her tightly. "It's okay, Willow. I understand. You need to talk to her. Just…" Her voice trailed off as she choked up. "Co-co-come back to me?" It was stuttered uncontrollably and she couldn't fight her voice getting higher, making her plea sound like a question. She knew she should just want Willow to be happy, but she didn't know what she'd do with herself if the redhead walked out the door and was lost to her.

Willow pulled back quickly to meet her lover's gaze. "Tara, I'll always come back to you." Her voice was serious. "I have to be with the person I love, remember?" The echoed words from their past seemed to calm the blonde witch. Willow stroked her fingers under Tara's eyes, wiping away tears and she leaned up to kiss her again. "I love you, Tara. I'll be back as soon as I can." She hugged the other witch as hard as she could for a long moment before Tara released her.

"I love you, Willow." Tara's voice was confident as she spoke.

Willow turned from the doorway to look back at Tara. "I love you too." She shut the door gently behind her and Tara put a hand on the desk to keep herself from collapsing. She forced herself to take deep breaths, to concentrate on research so she couldn't imagine what was going on out in the lobby.

* * *

Willow paused on the other side of the office door and forced herself to breathe, dreading the conversation she was going to have. She stood up straight and walked quickly into the lobby. She didn't want to leave Tara waiting for long. She remembered that simultaneously wonderful and horrible day when Oz had returned and Tara had been left waiting on her for hours, terrified in the dark, not knowing what was going to happen when Willow returned.

She resolved not to leave her lover stranded for so long this time. Kennedy was pacing in front of the check in desk and already staring in the direction of the office when Willow came around the corner. "You been avoiding me?" The slayer couldn't keep the edge of hostility out of her voice as she fell into step beside the witch as they walked outside.

Willow shut the door behind her and shook her head. "Of course not, Kennedy. It's just been a long two days. Buffy told me that you stopped by this morning. I assumed you went out with the other slayers, or I would have come to talk to you earlier."

"Well, did Buffy tell you that I was waiting for you last night?" Kennedy challenged her.

"We had a lot to deal with last night. I needed to be with Buffy and Xander and Giles and Dawn. We had a lot to talk about."

"And Tara. You had to be with her too," the dark haired slayer pressed anxiously.

Willow looked briefly surprised and nodded. "Yes, I did. Kennedy, I told you when we first met that I didn't fall for women - just one. Just her. She's the one that I love."

"But then you were with me," Kennedy stated, looking the witch in the eyes.

"I know that." Willow kept her voice steady through force of will power.

The slayer interrupted, "No! You were with me for months! I stood up for you, and helped you, and saw you at your best and your worst."

"You can't imagine my worst. I've told you that," Willow interjected. "And…and Tara is me at my best. I love her, Kennedy. I'll always love her. I _have_ always loved her. You had to have known that," Willow said seriously.

"I just didn't expect to be replaced when she came back." The slayer's voice sounded tired, the fight unexpectedly gone.

Willow's eyebrows raised. "I never expected her to come back. I was just trying to survive the rest of my life without her. I didn't ask Buffy to bring her back. But I cannot lose her again. And if she still loves me after everything I've done, then I have to be grateful and take my chance to be happy."

"Everything you've done? So now you regret being with me at all?" The bitterness in the slayer's voice made Willow realize her oversight.

"Kennedy, no. I do not regret being with you. You helped me survive the worst year of my life. I'm sorry it has to be this way between us, but I'm not sorry she's back and I won't lose her again. She saw everything I did to Warren, to Buffy, and Xander, and Giles, and Dawn. She saw me almost destroy the world and she forgave me and loves me. She still loves me, Kennedy."

The slayer swallowed and pressed her fingers into her eyes. "And you love her too. Did you ever love me?" Willow blinked and slowly opened her mouth. "You know what, don't say anything. I'd rather not know."

The witch shut her mouth and looked into the younger girl's eyes without speaking. Her hand lifted to touch the slayer on the shoulder, but the dark-haired girl recoiled and moved to leave the patio. "I'll see you later, Willow." Her voice was distracted and she opened the door. Willow could just stare after her as the slayer retreated upstairs.

She reentered the lobby, her gaze still following Kennedy's retreat. The slayer disappeared and the witch blinked, running across the room, back to the office.

She threw the door open in a rush, not bothering to shut it behind her as she bolted across the room, arms wrapping around Tara. The blonde didn't have time to face her, but Willow didn't care, pressing her face tightly again the back of her lover's sweater, her arms tight around her waist. Tara put up a hand to keep them from crashing into the bookcase and her other hand dropped the book she had been holding.

"Willow, baby? You okay?" She couldn't bear to ask how it had gone. Willow had come back to her. That was what mattered. The redhead put her chin on her lover's shoulder and nipped her ear. Tara felt a shudder run through her and she melted into Willow's arms. It had been too long. She felt hyper aware of every sensation, and she had to bring her other arm up onto the bookcase to stabilize herself.

"I'm great." Willow's voice was almost a purr. "I've got you back. We've got the rest of our lives together. Nothing can keep us apart. Ever again." She pressed kisses against the other witch's neck, loving the knowledge that she was causing the tremors she could feel running through her lover. Her hands started wandering across her lover's body.

"Willow," Tara gasped. "We should…oh God…we should wait." She was breathing hard and she didn't know how much more of this she could take before she put the table in this office to a use that it had probably never seen before, at least between two women. "I want you so bad…Willow, God…but…we're supposed to…Will…research…" The last word was a groan, her fingers tight against the shelf in front of her to keep herself from turning around. "Buffy needs this…" It was her last objection. She was almost to her limit. It seemed to reach through the haze surrounding Willow and she slowly broke away from Tara's neck, stopping her wandering hands.

"Fine." The red head was breathing heavily. She stepped away from the bookcase, dropping her hands reluctantly from Tara's body. "We'd better hurry though. I need you _now_." The blonde rested her head against the bookcase, her eyes closed. If she looked at Willow right now it would be over. A reprieve was granted in the form of Giles knocking on the open door.

"I came down to fill you in our discussion and see what I could do to help with the research. How are you girls doing?" He glanced between the two witches, aware that something had been going on but more than content to let it drop if they didn't make an issue out of whatever it was.

Tara took a deep breath and turned around from the bookcase, flexing her fingers. "It's going pretty well down here." She couldn't resist shooting a look at her lover. Willow leaned over and picked up the book Tara had dropped.

As the redhead stood back up the blonde was sure she heard her mutter, "It _was_…" Tara nudged Willow with an elbow as she selected another book and the two girls seated themselves at the desk where Tara had already stacked a few books. Giles pulled a chair out of the corner of the room and sat down to help.

"So what's the plan, Giles?" Willow asked to distract herself from the heat she could feel radiating off of Tara's skin. "Where are we heading?"

"Well, Dawn's idea has a great deal of merit so we're going to start trying to make head way in that direction. Xander and Buffy are talking with Angel about possible locations for our school. Once we can figure out the locations of the rest of the slayers we can start trying to contact them about the possibilities of training. In the mean time, since the Hellmouth at Sunnydale is closed, presumably forever, we will be able to take our ease here with Angel until we can get more details planned for the more long-term future. Buffy suggested sending the younger slayers who still have families home in the interim so that they can have some personal time before they need to rejoin us. And having the slayers scattered for now will help keep the demon populace under control."

"And that will keep them out of our hair," Willow added, looking over a text.

Giles cracked a small smile. "Yes, quite. Forty girls is quite a lot to keep up with. I understand why the ancients only activated one slayer at a time. I'll be grateful when Buffy is my only charge again."

Tara smiled at the older man and reached over to touch his hand. "I don't think Buffy has been your only charge in a long time, Giles. You watch over all of us…the Scoobies, I mean." The shy girl blushed and ducked her head, her hair sliding into her face.

Giles was surprised to feel tears pricking the backs of his eyes and blinked as he cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I suppose that's true. You all mean…quite a lot to me. And we're very fortunate to have you back with us, Tara. We're…well…we all missed you very much." He stumbled over the words, trying to check his emotions.

Willow took Tara's hand under the table, squeezing it briefly before going back to her research. Tara smiled at Giles and pulled her other hand back from his to turn the page, dropping her eyes to her book.

"Willow, do you think we could use the scythe again to locate the slayers the way you used it to activate them? Or could we amend the spell you used to activate them with a locator spell?"

She looked thoughtful. "…That might work." She hesitated. "But if we can find another way I'd rather we did. The slayer spell was very strenuous and might be overkill on what we're trying to do. As long as we've got the time to spare, I'd rather look for another way." Giles was speechless as she stopped talking. "Is that okay, Giles? I'll try to amend the slayer spell if we need to but…"

Giles interrupted her. "No, Willow, it's no trouble. We have time to search for another way. I'm just proud of your maturity. You handled the spell beautifully last time, but I am grateful that you've taken the coven's lessons to heart." He smiled at the redhead before blinking and looking back at his books. "I wonder if the First Slayer ever gave Buffy a clue that could help us identify the other slayers. Perhaps there is some aspect of the slayer's power that we can track magically…"

"Like a demon locator?" Tara clarified.

The Watcher nodded. "Similar. We'll have to ask Buffy later. There is _some_ supernatural basis for slayer powers so it's not a futile inquiry."

The three read extensively, setting books to the side that held promising information. There was no speaking or noise other than the turning of pages and quiet thumps as books were piled.


	4. Chapter 3

Hours later the three heard clattering down the stairs and Buffy poked her head into the office. "Hey guys, Angel's got dinner in the dining room for us. The junior slayers should be back soon so we might want to hurry."

That was all the encouragement they needed, standing up and leaving their books where they lay. Xander and Dawn were already seating at a large round table, helping themselves to dinner. Angel was leaned over some papers at another table. Faith appeared from upstairs, Kennedy trailing behind her. "Look who I found. Somebody missed their field trip." Buffy glanced quickly at Willow, but the redheaded witch didn't appear to be anxious.

"Hello, Kennedy. How was your day?" the Slayer asked cautiously, moving with Willow and Tara to the table.

The dark-haired slayer shrugged and sat down on the far side of the table. "Had worse I guess." She couldn't stop herself from glancing at Willow before she reached forward to serve herself some food. "Do you guys care if I tag along on your shopping trip…since I missed the earlier one."

Buffy looked at Willow again and her best friend met her gaze, nodding. "Yeah, that should be fine." The girls started to eat, Giles joining Angel at his table. The vampire was still reading to himself.

Looking up from his paperwork, Angel cleared his throat. "Wesley just called, the other slayers should be back in about five minutes so grab what food you want before they get here. We can leave once everyone is finished eating. Wesley said he'd organize some training outside for the other girls. We can fill them in on the plans once we get back."

Just then they could hear the other slayers entering the hotel, drawn to the food. Wesley was at the end of the group, arms covered in shopping bags. "Girls, you really should do something with these," he said helplessly.

The junior slayers didn't respond and Xander got up from the table to help him. Tara noticed and stood up to join them.

"Let us help, Mr. Wesley." Willow started to stand up, but Tara waved her back, giving her a reassuring smile.

The former Watcher let them take the bags from him, turning back toward the bus. "I'll get the rest and meet you upstairs."

The two Scoobies nodded and started lugging their burdens up the stairs. They made it to the fifth floor landing and Xander shook his head. "They can take them from here. We don't know what goes where anyway. Might as well just drop them here."

Tara nodded and started dropping her bags, Xander doing the same. The blonde looked over at him thoughtfully while she pushed the bags back toward the wall so that there would still be room to walk in the hall. "Xander, can I ask you something?"

He shrugged, straightening up. "Sure, Tara, what is it?"

"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Anya…I miss her."

Xander looked back down at the pile of bags, swallowing hard. "I miss her too, Tara. But that wasn't a question. What's going on?" His voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat. The thought of Anya was still painful, even though they hadn't technically been together.

The witch swallowed, touching his shoulder. "Are you okay? I mean, with me…being here."

Xander closed his eye briefly, part of him expecting the question. "Tara, we all love you. I loved Anya, but things weren't right between us…we had a lot to work through…who knows if we could have ever made it back to anything. But that's how life goes. What I do know is that Willow loves you. Losing you destroyed her. And I love Willow. She's my best friend. So I could never regret getting you back. She needs you. And I need her." His voice cracked. "Do you understand anything I'm saying or is it just…"

Tara interrupted him by throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. His arms went around her and he hugged her back, his height lifting her onto her toes. "I'm so sorry, Xander."

"Yeah, me too." His voice was rough and he gave himself a moment to duck his face against her shoulder.

Just then Wesley stumbled up the stairs, trying to balance more bags. Xander quickly released Tara and they moved to help him, neither speaking again.

They trooped back down the stairs, Xander and Tara reclaiming their seats at the table while Wesley joined Angel and Giles' table which was curiously still empty. Willow put her hand on Tara's knee as her lover sat down and shot her a look. Tara just smiled at her reassuringly. Willow glanced over at Xander and back at Tara, but the blonde simply squeezed her hand and smiled again.

Buffy stood up from the table and tried to get the other slayers' attention. Xander used his loud whistle from his seat beside her and the others looked toward their leader.

"Okay guys, we're going out for a while, but Wesley is going to have equipment set up outside for training. You guys spar and practice and we'll fill you in on the plan when we get back. Any questions?"

Satsu stood up from her seat beside Kennedy. "Shouldn't we patrol for vampires?"

Buffy looked to Wesley and Angel. "Um…what do you think?"

Angel looked thoughtful. "I don't have anything case related tonight so it shouldn't be too bad out there. Gunn can take some of you out, and Wesley can stay and oversee the training."

Buffy looked back at the crowd of girls. "That sound fair? Only about fifteen or so go out tonight. The other half can go out tomorrow night with me."

The girls all made noises of acknowledgement and Buffy took her seat to finish eating.

Willow leaned over. "Do you want us to go with you tomorrow night?" She smirked at her best friend.

The Slayer glanced around at the other girls and shook her head. "You don't have to, I'm sure Giles can find something researchy for you to do."

Faith spoke up at that. "Um, B, you can count me out on the research. I'll hit the streets with the juniors. All this sitting around is making me restless anyways."

The other Slayer smirked and nodded. "I know that feeling."

Angel walked up and extended his hand to Buffy. "Well then, should we go?"

The blonde bounced to her feet. "Shopping! I love shopping."

Giles rolled his eyes and began fussing with his glasses. "Angel's doomed us all."

* * *

The group piled out of the bus, dragging numerous bags with them. The rookie slayers were lingering around the lobby, stretching after their workout. Wesley and Gunn we collapsed into chairs against the wall, exhausted. "Too many slayers," Wesley groaned, running his hands through his hair in a very Giles-esque motion.

Tara took some bags out of Buffy's hands and gestured to the other slayers. "We'll take these upstairs. You and Giles go help Mr. Wesley." Buffy nodded and handed the rest of her bags to Willow and Xander.

The friends carried their burdens up the sixth floor, Willow managing to turn the key in the door with her teeth. They separated to their rooms, depositing their bags. Tara collected Buffy's bags and took them into the room with Dawn. Willow took the moment of privacy to check on Xander.

"Hey, Xand, you okay? And it's me so I don't want to hear anything but the truth." When Xander turned around he met Willow's resolve face full on.

"You want to know what Tara was saying to me…" he clarified with a small smile, knowing exactly what his oldest friend was up to.

Willow remained serious. "That isn't what I said, I asked if you were okay. I've been so caught up in getting Tara back, and not dying, and activating the slayers that I haven't talked to you much. And you just lost…I mean, Anya just…" She trailed off, trying not to babble.

Xander stepped forward to hug her tightly, breathing slowly into her hair. "I've been thinking of leaving." He could feel her stiffen against him and he spoke again quickly. "Just for a while, to think things through, try and relax, something like that…"

He could hear the tears in her voice as she responded. "Where would you go?"

"I've been thinking about maybe going to see Dracula. We've kept in touch. He's not a bad guy."

Willow pulled back a little to look into his face, and he could see the tears in her eyes. "Xander, he turned you into his man-bitch, remember?"

He smiled sadly. "Yeah, but maybe that's what I need right now. No thinking, just being a man-bitch."

Willow frowned. "I really don't want you going there alone. Being alone has never done any of us any good. Especially at times like this. Remember me after Oz left? Buffy after Angel? And Riley?"

"So, you're saying I shouldn't go anywhere…"

"No, I'm saying I'll go with you. I don't want you to have to deal with this alone." Her voice was calm and he stared into her face.

Slowly he realized he was just standing and looking at her, and shook his head. "Will, you can't leave now. Tara just got back."

Willow closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed. "You're my best friend, Xander. Tara will understand. It will be rough, but it's you and me…it's us. I'm not going to just watch you run off to be man-bitched." He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "No, Xander. Resolve face." She pointed to her face. "If you're going anywhere I'm going with you. However long it takes."

"How about we agree to talk it over with Buffy and Giles and the rest of the Scoobies before we decide anything?" he compromised.

Willow thought it over for a second and nodded. "I'll accept that, but if you even think about trying to sneak away or something, I'll just follow you."

"Deal." He hugged her tightly, leaning back to lift her up off her feet. "I love you, Willow."

"I love you, Xander." He put her down slowly and she took his hand as they walked back into the living room.

Tara and Dawn were sitting on the couch thumb wrestling. Neither looked up when they came in. "Hey guys," Dawn said, distracted. "Ready to go back downstairs?" She managed to pin Tara's thumb and squealed loudly. "I won."

"We're pretty sure they heard you downstairs, Dawnie," Xander commented, rubbing his ear with his free hand.

"I could take you anytime, Dawn. I'm just out of practice. I haven't had anyone to thumb wrestle in a long time," Tara challenged, smiling at the younger girl.

The door opened and Buffy interjected, "Tara, if you challenge her make sure you win so we don't have to hear that noise again."

"Hey Buff, how'd the briefing go?" Xander asked, seating himself on the love seat with Willow.

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. The ones that are going to leave are calling their parents now and Angel's going to help them make travel arrangements to get them home as soon as possible."

"How many are leaving?" Dawn asked curiously, her thumb in battle against Tara's.

Giles spoke up, "Actually, quite a lot. Only about fifteen still had families they can go back to but the girls have formed friendships with their fellow slayers, so the ones whose parents are willing are taking friends with them. So, all in all, about thirty of the girls will be going abroad."

"So we only have to deal with ten! Alright!" she cheered.

"Dawn!" Tara scolded her, succeeding in pinning her thumb.

The younger girl groaned. "But Tara, you didn't have to live with forty of them! It was nuts!"

The blonde witch smiled gently and wrapped her arm around Dawn's shoulders. "Well, I'm sure wherever we end up will have enough room for all of us."

"That should be a priority," Xander chimed in. "As one of the few males in this organization, I say that should be a priority."

"Hear, hear," Giles agreed, shooting a look at his Slayer.

Buffy looked offended and looked to Willow. "I'm a good roommate, right Willow? Tara? Dawn?"

The three girls in question exchanged looks before nodding rapidly. "Sure thing, Buff!" Willow responded, a syrupy smile on her face.

"It's quite a different story to live with a thousand girls, Buffy," Giles interjected. Dawn's eyes shot open wide.

"There's going to be a thousand?" Buffy asked, sounding panicked. "What are we going to do with a thousand? We can't train a thousand girls at once."

"No, but hopefully by the time we have a headquarters of sorts set up, the slayers we have with us now will be better equipped to help train the others. At the start though, you, Faith, and myself will have to handle the bulk of the training. A lot of the timing depends on how fast we can find a location and how quickly Willow and Tara can locate the remaining girls."

"So hopefully we'll have the other slayers trained to train the new ones before we get the new ones?" Willow asked, her brow furrowed as she tried to understand what she'd just said.

Xander laughed and Tara smiled tenderly. Willow smiled back at Tara, turning to stick her tongue out at Xander.

"So are we staying here until we find a location, or are we going to travel, or go somewhere with a Hellmouth, or what?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think we should impose on Angel's hospitality that long. I'm sure he won't throw us out, but that law firm he's always fighting with might not be too thrilled to have the slayers living here for any amount of time. We don't want to start trouble if we can avoid it," Buffy stated, glancing to Giles for confirmation.

"True enough. But we don't need to make any hasty decisions."

Xander cleared his throat, Willow looking sharply at him. "Speaking of hasty decisions, I've got something I wanted to talk to you guys about."

Buffy noted the serious tone in her friend's voice and sat down on the couch next to Dawn. Giles seated himself in an armchair and they both looked at the one-eyed young man.

Willow squeezed his hand and he looked down at her, noting her resolve face. "I've been thinking about going away for a while." Dawn gasped loudly, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Tara looked between Willow and Xander and reached over with her free hand to squeeze Dawn's. "Nothing permanent, of course, just a way to try and relax, think things through."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "That doesn't seem like a bad idea. Especially since we're just kind of sitting on our hands here."

Willow glanced between her best friends. "He wants to go stay with Dracula," she blurted, ducking her head when Xander turned his head sharply to glare at her.

"Will! I was going to build up to that."

"What? You can't be serious!" Dawn exclaimed.

Tara spoke up. "Wait a second, Dawn…let him explain it."

Xander looked thankfully at her and cleared his throat again. "Well, I was just thinking that I could use some time away to think about Anya and…" His voice got thick. "…and try and deal with losing her again…and Dracula and I have stayed in touch, and he's not really a bad guy. He's invited me to stay as long as I want." He took a deep breath. "It would be easy there. And I just think that I need that right now." Willow squeezed his hand, leaning her head against his arm.

Buffy looked seriously at him. "Xander, being someone's man-bitch is never what you need. I can understand needing to get away, but I'm really not comfortable with the idea of you surrendering yourself to Dracula."

Xander nodded, feeling Willow's fingers tighten around his own. "I know it's not ideal, but I don't know if I can stay here and watch all of this, not right now. I need some time, Buffy."

"Hey, let's all remember the time I ran Angel through and ran away to L.A. for three months. I'm all over the time-off idea. I'm just not sure about the Dracula angle. What about if you finished your road trip from high school? I'm sure Angel can loan you a more reliable car. You could hit the road, camp, see nature, and all that stuff."

He looked at Willow for a long moment before he responded. "Yeah, that's an idea. At least it's something to think about. I won't make any decisions without talking to you again, but it is something I need to do. Do you understand?" He looked directly at Buffy as he finished speaking.

She stood up from the couch and crossed the room to kneel in front of him and Willow on the couch. She extended her arms around the two of them and the three hugged tightly.

"Of course we understand, Xander. We've all been where you are. I'm just grateful that this time, we actually have the time to try and grieve properly," Giles spoke seriously. "We all miss Anya, but I know none of us feel her loss the same way you do. Do what you have to do."

"I'll give it a day or two and let you know what I'm going to do," he replied, looking again at Willow. The redhead gave him a minute nod and leaned her head against him again. He looked around the room at his friends and swallowed. "Well, now that I've dropped my bombshell, I think I'll go to bed. Do we have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Buffy shook her head. "We're taking the slayers that can get tickets for tomorrow to the airport, but then we're just researching the locator spell. Patrol tomorrow night will actually be something to look forward to…"

"Great, well I'll see everybody in the morning then. Tara, any chance of more pancakes?"

The blonde smiled at him and shrugged. "If that's what you want. I can talk to Angel about getting different ingredients sent up and we could have bacon and eggs. What would everybody like?"

"How about we mix it up a little? Try the bacon and eggs?" Buffy suggested, stretching. "I'll go ask Angel about getting some." With that she was out of her seat and on her way out of the room. Tara started to speak but the Slayer was gone.

"Bacon and eggs it is," Xander said with a decisive nod. He squeezed Willow into another hug and stood up. Dawn jumped up to hug him as well and Willow took the opportunity to cross the room to Tara on the opposite couch.

She extended a hand to her girlfriend. "We're gonna hit the sack too." She yawned widely. "Very tired." Tara took her hand without comment, noticing the look on her lover's face.

"Good night Giles, Dawnie," Tara called over her shoulder as Willow pulled them into their bedroom. As soon as the door shut, Willow started pacing. Tara watched her for a long moment before stepping in front of her path, her hands coming up to her love's shoulders. "What is it, baby? You've had a look on your face since Xander told everyone he was thinking about leaving."

"I'm going with him," the redhead blurted, looking at the floor.

Tara's hands dropped slowly down Willow's arms, finally reaching her hands. She shut her eyes for a long moment, surprised to feel tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Y-y-your trip is te-temp-temporary too, right?" She couldn't control her stutter, her voice trembling.

Willow's eyes shot up to meet hers, her hands coming up to her lover's face. "Baby, yes. Of course it is. I don't want to leave you, I just don't want him to go alone, and he's my best friend since kindergarten, and he needs me. I don't want to be separated from you. I never want that…" She was fully in babble mode when Tara kissed her deeply, immediately sending the words rushing from her brain. Her hands went into her lover's blonde hair, keeping her from pulling back. Tara had no intention of trying as her arms went around Willow's waist, the pair stepping back to collide with their bed.

They didn't mention Xander again that night.


	5. Chapter 4

Buffy was surprised to be the first one awake, but based on the noises she was hearing from the witches' room, they wouldn't be out for a while. Dawn was still sacked out, and she hadn't heard anything from her Watcher or Xander. Which left breakfast to her. Angel had given her some more breakfast food so she started scrambling eggs and frying bacon, sliding bread into the toaster.

She'd never had much reason to cook more than pop-tarts and frozen waffles when her mom and Tara had been alive but since the blonde witch had died she'd had to step up and take over the household tasks that the blonde had performed. The few months she'd had on her own to learn before the potentials had started filling up her house had cemented in her a love of cooking.

Angel had told her that one group of younger slayers were set to leave from the airport after lunch so she wasn't in a hurry to get the others up and moving, content to just have a moment alone where she knew her family was safe and they were all together. After last night's confession, she was worried about Xander, but she resolved to do whatever she had to do to make sure he was okay again. She knew from the looks the two had been exchanging that he had talked to Willow first. She just hoped that his oldest friend could help him.

Xander was the first one out of his bedroom, drawn by the smell of breakfast. He was only mildly surprised to see Buffy at the stove instead of Tara. She smiled at him as he took a plate and helped himself. She served herself a plate and made sure the food left on the stove wouldn't burn before sitting with him at the table. "So when you go, is Will going with you?" Xander looked surprised and she smiled, "I saw you looking at her last night. She's your best friend. It makes total sense that she wants to help you." She reached over and touched his hand. "We both love you, Xander."

He looked back at her and nodded slowly. "I love you too, Buffy. Thank you for understanding. I just need some time. Let's get the young un's packed up and we'll see how it goes around here. Maybe some quiet time is what we all need. We've been kind of keyed up lately with all the junior slayers so maybe once we get some time alone we can start getting back to normal…or you know, as normal as we get."

Buffy smirked at that. "Yeah, I kind of get the feeling that nothing will ever be normal for us." Just then Dawn came out of the bedroom, rushing over to get some food.

"Buffy cooked?" She sounded surprised as she lifted the lids on the pans.

Her sister turned a little in her seat to look at her. "Hey! Tara's not the only one who can cook. I do alright for myself. I'm way better than I used to be."

Xander spoke up. "That's true." He took a bite. "I'm not a bad cook myself. You'd be surprised what kinds of food you can make with a hot plate and a dryer." The girls both looked at him, their eyebrows raised. "Hey, I lived in a basement, and it wasn't always safe to go upstairs and use the kitchen."

"What, exactly, can you make with a dryer?" Giles asked, exiting his bedroom and joining them at the table.

"French fries," Xander responded promptly. "Actually any bagged, frozen vegetable. Thirty minutes on high heat. You just have to watch out for the fluff cycle. That's how things get messy."

Dawn laughed and Buffy shot her a look. "You are not to try that. If she does, Xander, you get to help her clean it up." She looked back at her best friend. He was grinning easily and nodded good naturedly.

"I'd be more scared if you still owned a dryer," he taunted, nudging her with an elbow. Just then Tara and Willow made their appearance, both freshly showered. "Hey, they do come up for air," he greeted them loudly.

"Oh, dear lord," Giles groaned, dropping his fork.

"Xander!" Tara, Willow, and Buffy exclaimed in unison.

Dawn was laughing loudly, and Xander had the sense to look sheepish. "It's not like I don't know what they're doing in there," Dawn spoke up to defend him. Buffy shot her a look and she promptly closed her mouth.

Tara was blushing, but Willow was glowing, ducking her face. The blonde took her hand, squeezing gently before kissing her. It wasn't just a peck, her other hand came up and her fingers slipped into Willow's hair. After a moment, she pulled back slowly, leaning her forehead against her lover's.

"Good morning, everybody," Tara said, pulling Willow to the table with her. They got their food and seated themselves with their friends. "What time are the slayers leaving?"

"Wesley is taking them to the airport at one. Another group is leaving from the bus station tonight at eight. The rest are leaving tomorrow morning at ten."

Willow spoke around a mouthful of bacon. "Are we going with Wesley, or is he on his own?"

"One of us really should go with him. We sent him shopping on his own with them. It really wouldn't be fair to leave him alone again," Tara said with a smile.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you're volunteering?" she teased, smiling at her friend.

Giles interjected, "Actually, Tara and Willow are indispensable in today's research for a locator spell. If you like, _you_ can accompany Wesley to the airport." He hid his smile behind a cup of tea.

"Fine Giles, don't take a joke. I can baby sit for one more day. At least I'll get out of the research and have patrol to look forward to tonight," she groused, but there was a smile on her face as she responded to her Watcher.

"If you girls are amenable, we can start researching location spells after breakfast." Buffy snickered at that until Giles continued, "There are several hours yet before the slayers are leaving, more than enough time for you to help us."

The Slayer grimaced and crammed her last piece of toast in her mouth. "Fine. It was always more fun with a group." She shot a look at Xander and Dawn.

Xander shrugged. "My key role of fetching snack food can't go to anyone else. I'm in."

Buffy turned toward her sister. "It's either this, or helping the other slayers pack. At least with research you'll be with us and not them."

Dawn sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'm in too."

Tara found something promising right before lunch. "Buffy can I hold the scythe? I think if Willow and I can connect with the energy inside it, I can narrow down what we need for the locator spell." She slid the book she was reading across the table to Willow, pointing out the important section. Giles stood up to read over their shoulders.

The Slayer shrugged and crossed the room to the safe set into the wall. "Sure. Angel's been keeping it locked up in here for me." She opened the safe quickly, pulling the weapon from inside and handing it to Tara.

The blonde had never seen it before and examined it slowly as she seated herself on the floor. Willow moved to sit in front of her, Tara placing the weapon on the floor gently in between them. Willow reached for her lover's hands, taking them in hers.

Tara looked up from the scythe. "Willow, you don't have to do this with me. If you don't want to…"

The redhead just squeezed her hands. "I'm not letting you do this alone. I'll be fine, I can handle it. You're with me." The last part was whispered, Willow squeezing her hands again. She was nervous about connecting to the scythe again, but with Tara with her, she knew she'd be alright. Tara smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. They pulled back slowly and closed their eyes, their hands still locked together.

Nothing seemed to happen for a long time. Angel came into the office, still pulling his jacket on.

"What are they doing?" he asked, looking curiously at the seated girls and the scythe.

Buffy shrugged. "Trying to narrow down something to help us locate the rest of the activated slayers. What are you doing down here so early? It's only noon."

"Oh, Wesley said the first batch of slayers are loading up the bus. He mentioned something about you riding out with him."

Buffy smirked over at Giles. "Yeah, I pulled babysitting duty for today." The Watcher ignored her, smiling a little at his book. The Slayer slid her book over to Dawn, stretching as she walked toward the lobby. "I'll check in after we get them on the planes. Let me know if Willow and Tara find anything."

"We'll keep you in the loop, Buff," Xander assured her, waving as she walked out the door, Angel following her.

The two witches were still in their trance when the Slayer returned hours later. She poked her head in the office, not really expecting her friends to still be there. "I was expecting you guys to be upstairs. Are they still trancing?" Dawn nodded, staring at them. "Have they come out of it at all?" She shook her head, looking concerned. "Giles, should we be worried? Are they okay?"

The Watcher looked over at the two witches and sighed. "They're deep within their own minds. There's no telling what is going on in there. They have to come out of it on their own. There's nothing we can do to pull them out."

Xander had been pacing on the other side of the room, obviously frantic. "There has to be _something_ we can do."

Buffy sat down slowly, trying to think. "When Glory took Dawn…" Her sister turned slowly to look at her. "I kind of lost it, I couldn't move, couldn't think. Willow brought me out. There has to be something we can do."

Giles frowned thoughtfully. "I was in the hospital then. I don't know what she did. You say she was in your mind?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, she was walking around with me in my subconscious. She was talking to me, she could see what I was seeing, what I was thinking. She changed my mind, got me out."

"Was anyone else there?" Giles asked, flipping open a new book.

Buffy shook her head, grimacing. "Just Anya…and Tara, but, she wasn't, you know, all there."

"I wish we knew what ritual Willow used. We'll just have to hope they can make their way out on their own by the time we can find a ritual to go in after them."

Xander stopped his pacing, rushing over to the table. Dawn turned her head to look at the two women on the floor before she looked back at the table, taking a book from Giles. Buffy took another and they bent to their work. It was almost an hour before anyone spoke, Dawn calling for Giles.

He came around to her seat, stepping carefully around Willow and Tara. "What have you found?" She slid her book closer to the edge of the table so he could see better. He read for a moment, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder. "I think this might work. They're connected so we should be able to get them both out at once. We'll need supplies for this ritual. Xander, will you go get these from Wesley?" He scribbled a list on a scrap of paper, thrusting it into his hands. Xander was on his feet and out the door in a heartbeat, scrambling out of the office.

"What do we have to do?" Buffy asked, standing up unconsciously.

Giles looked up at her. "We're going to send someone into their minds to attempt to discover what is holding their wills there and get them free. A new presence should be able to help them escape from whoever is holding them there."

"Do you know who's keeping them in there?" Dawn asked, looking between her sister and her Watcher.

"They were channeling into the scythe, my best guess would be the spirit of the First Slayer," Giles said thoughtfully, reaching absently for his glasses.

"Or those creepy guys who made her. They offered me power to defeat the First. Maybe they're doing something to Willow and Tara because I turned them down." Buffy looked at her sister seriously. "I'll get them out, Dawn. I promise."

"Buffy, are you sure you want to be the one to go?" Giles finished polishing his lenses and put his glasses back on.

Buffy looked up at her Watcher. "I have to. You're the only one who has a chance of helping us if something goes wrong in there."

Giles nodded slowly as Xander bolted back into the office, his arms full. He dropped the supplies on top of the books and Giles took several of the candles to start setting up for the ritual. When everything was set up he waved Buffy over.

The Slayer seated herself within a circle of white sand that Giles had drawn around the two witches. At Giles' nod she closed her eyes, reaching both hands out to touch one hand on each of her friends' arms. She could dimly hear Giles' voice starting an incantation and she concentrated on reaching her friends.

She opened her eyes and found herself in a cave. There were torches on the walls and a dark tunnel in front of her. "Will? Tara? Can you hear me?" She didn't really expect an answer, reaching up to take a torch down off the wall. "I'm coming," she muttered, heading into the tunnel.

Xander reached across the table, taking Dawn's hand. The younger girl looked over at him, tears in her eyes. "They're going to be okay. Buffy will get them back." Giles was pacing in a circle around the frozen girls, but Xander kept his eyes on Dawn, nodding reassuringly.

Buffy could see light in front of her and started moving faster. She could hear noises that sounded like they were coming from very far away, but she couldn't see anything. The light got closer and she finally entered a large, hollow cavern. There was a group of women standing in a wide circle, speaking to someone she couldn't see. She pushed her way into the circle, glad to see Willow and Tara in the middle. She rushed forward and hugged her friends. "You guys okay? What's going on?" She looked warily around the circle.

Willow shook her head, frowning in confusion. "Buffy, I don't understand. How did you get here?"

"You guys have been in here for almost five hours. Dawn is freaking out. We did a ritual, like you did for me. I'm here to get you out. We didn't know what was happening. We didn't know if you could get out on your own."

The two witches exchanged a long look. "They've been talking to us. About you, the other slayers, about what we did," Willow said, glancing around at the women surrounding them. "They call themselves the Guardians. Does that mean anything to you?"

Buffy nodded, frowning as she tried to think and then blinking as it came to her. "I met one right after I got the scythe. Caleb killed her. She hid the scythe and waited for someone to find it." She turned to look at the other Guardians. "I'm sorry about your friend." She paused. "Thank you for the scythe. We couldn't have won without it."

One of the women stepped forward. "You have done well, Buffy Summers. We have waited a long time for someone to remove the scythe. Our time was at an end. But now you have awakened all the slayers. This has upset the order. There is no way to deal with this. You must fix it."

Buffy frowned. "What do you want me to do? We can't just take their powers away. Is it so wrong to have more than one Slayer? There's definitely more than one type of evil thing we have to deal with."

The Guardians glanced at each other, obviously considering what to say. "We have never condoned what the elders did to the create the slayers, but it is not safe to have so many wandering free in the world. Not all will handle their responsibilities as willingly as you do. They will see themselves as entitled, you cannot allow them free rein. In some ways the battle you have coming will be harder than any you faced before, you will not be battling demons, but the dark sides of women who could have been sisters to you."

Buffy grimaced, glancing over at Willow and Tara. "I'm sure they already told you, but we're working on a way to locate them. That's why we're here. We're going to do our best to train them, teach them how to fight evil."

"You will do your best, but we fear it will not be enough. Be cautious as you move ahead with your plans," the Guardian warned her, glancing around at the others. "It's time for you to leave here."

Buffy stepped back, looking at Willow. "You got what you came for?" she asked her friend. The redhead nodded. "Great, do you know how we can get out of here?"

Tara frowned. "Giles sent you in without teaching you a ritual to get out?"

Buffy shrugged, defending herself, "I don't remember what he said. We were in a hurry. We didn't know what was happening in here."

The Guardians closed the circle tighter around the three and Buffy turned to look at them. "We can send you back. Just take each other's hands and close your eyes and you'll be back when you open them."

"Will we see you again?" Buffy asked.

The Guardian looked serious and her voice was heavy. "For your sake, I dearly hope not."

Buffy sighed and reached to either side to take Tara and Willow's free hands, shutting her eyes. There was a rushing past her head and her spine stiffened, her head falling back. And then she could feel the hard wood floor of the office under her. She gasped loudly, opening her eyes in a rush. She could feel a hand on her shoulder, steadying her and she leaned into it, squeezing the witches' wrists in front of her. They opened their eyes slowly, both breathing hard. Xander and Dawn were there instantly, Xander jumping to help Willow to her feet, Dawn pulling Tara up. Their legs were stiff from sitting on the floor for so long so they needed help to stay standing.

Xander was looking back and forth between the two witches as he supported Willow. "You guys okay? What happened?" Giles slipped his hand from Buffy's shoulder to her elbow, pulling her to her feet. The Slayer smiled her thanks over her shoulder at her Watcher.

Willow looked around slowly, still a little disoriented. "The Guardians were there. They told us what to search for with the locator spell. But…" She hesitated, looking at Buffy. "They kind of led us to believe that some of the new slayers might go rogue…they said we had upset the balance and it's our responsibility to make it right."

Giles looked serious and reached up for his glasses. "Oh dear. That _is _bad."

Buffy noticed that the room seemed darker. "How long was I in there?" She looked at her sister, who had tear tracks obvious on her face. She held her arms out to her and Dawn moved quickly from Tara to Buffy, hugging her tightly. "Hey, it's okay, Dawnie. I told you I would get them back."

"You were in there for a while too, Buffy. About two hours. You missed the second group of slayers leaving. We were worried," Xander said, wrapping his free arm around Tara's shoulders, both exhausted witches leaning on him.

She frowned at him over her sister's shoulder. "Seriously? It felt like I _might_ have been down for maybe twenty minutes total."

Tara spoke up. "It felt like we had only been there for about thirty minutes or so before you got there, Buffy."

Giles had finished cleaning his glasses and put them back on his nose. "It sounds like we should put our plans to contact the rest of the slayers into motion sooner rather than later. Tara, if you'll help me adapt it, I can cast the locater spell in the morning and we can start contacting the girls tomorrow. In a city as large as L.A. I have hopes we'll be able reach at least two. We'll have to experiment with the range of the locator spell. A city is the largest area I've ever used one on, but we don't have time to go city to city searching. There's too many opportunities to miss them that way."

Xander spoke up. "If we're going to start contacting girls tomorrow, we need some place to put them. Have you or Wesley heard anything from what's left of the Council? Can they help us? I would think this would be in their jurisdiction."

"Once we find a location, the institution's political power should still be intact enough to get us whatever we need."

"So we just need to find a place? What about an old boarding school, or castle, or something?" Xander suggested, voice hesitantly excited.

Willow narrowed her eyes at her best friend, suspicious of his eagerness. "Don't some of those comic book people live in an old boarding school, or castle, or something?"

Xander looked offended. "The term you're searching for is _X-Men_, Will. The X-Men live in a boarding school in New England. They teach the young mutants during the day but whenever they are needed, their headquarters are hidden underneath the school."

"Whatever. Who do we know that would even be able to help us find an old boarding school or castle?"

Xander's eye widened. "Actually, I do think I know of somebody that could help us. He's very old and he lives in a castle. I'm sure he'd know of another one we could use."

Willow let her head flop back against his arm. "Xand, I hope you don't mean who I think you mean."

"What? You said you'd go with me to see him before. This wouldn't even be a long trip, just ask him a question and we're out of there."

Tara spoke hesitantly from Xander's other side. "Couldn't we just call him? Or write him a letter or something? It just doesn't make a lot of sense to go see him, just to turn around and come right back."

"I could send him an email."

"And that will keep you from getting man-bitched," Buffy chimed in, grinning at her friend.

Giles interrupted even as Xander opened his mouth to respond, "Yes, children. This is all well and good. Xander, please contact Dracula and see if he has any information that can help us. Buffy, you promised to patrol with the rest of the girls tonight. Faith should be in the lobby or out on the patio training if you'd like to join her. Dawn, if you could take Willow to get something to eat and bring something back here for Tara and myself that would a great help. I'm going to amend the locator spell, and we'll need to get in touch with the slayers that left today. If they could perform the spell where they are it will help us narrow down places we need to go."

Xander helped Tara sit down at the table before he left to use a computer. Willow put a hand on Dawn's shoulder to steady herself while she stretched her legs. They went to get some food from the dining room after a moment as Willow felt some of the strength return to her legs. Buffy rested a hand on Tara's shoulder before she left. "Thanks for everything, Tara. Willow's still shaky on magic stuff so I'm glad you're here to help her."

Tara glanced at the doorway her lover had just exited and looked back up at the Slayer. "I'll never leave her again, you know that." The Slayer nodded and squeezed her friend's shoulder as she left.

"Have you and Willow had a chance to talk about the magic yet?" Giles asked, not looking at her. Tara shook her head. "I'd do it soon. She's doing much better, but she was always at her best when she practiced and trained with you." He looked at her seriously. "You're not scared of her going…dark again, are you?"

She looked up at him, just as seriously. "I'm not. I regret what happened, but I've seen how she's grown and how hard she's worked to control herself. Are you worried about it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "Not anymore."

Tara took a deep breath and slid a piece of paper she'd been working on the day before towards him. "This should work as the locator spell and this…" She wrote for a moment. "…should pinpoint the slayers." Giles looked over her work and nodded.

He pulled an old map out and laid it to the side. A few moments of searching revealed a jar of powder hidden under some papers. He located the Hyperion Hotel on the map and handed Tara some of the powder. "Let's try it." They blew their powder onto the map over the hotel, reciting the spell, and were gratified to see twenty white lights on the map. Tara laughed as she watched them slowly start to move beyond the edge of the powder, two lights in the lead.

"Look's like they're going on patrol now," she commented.

Just then Willow and Dawn returned from the kitchens, each holding two plates. "Buffy and Faith just took the juniors out so we've got a quiet night ahead of us unless something happens with Angel's cases."

Tara smiled across the table at Giles and took her plate from Willow as the redhead sat down beside her. "Thanks, baby." She leaned over and kissed her cheek, fingers sliding into Willow's free hand as they both started eating.

Dawn giggled at them and started to eat her own dinner. Giles was still distractedly looking over the spell Tara had written so the witch put her fork down for a moment, taking the paper away from him. "The slayers can wait until after dinner, Giles. It's too late to contact them tonight anyway," she said reasonably.

The Watcher nodded and started to eat. "True enough, Tara. However, as much as common respect is a rarity among this group…" he said, shooting a look at Dawn and Willow. "You don't have to take care of me."

She ducked her head, dropping her hair into her face. "Yes sir, Giles."

"You practically raised all of us anyways, Giles." Dawn kept eating, missing the look on Giles' face.

Tara took pity on him and changed the subject. "So, are we going to use the spell to get the locations of the slayers in L.A. tonight, and then we'll go talk to them tomorrow?"

He nodded. "It might be prudent to wait until after Buffy and the others return. Just so we're not tracking girls we're already aware of."

"So we're free until they get back?" Dawn asked excitedly.

The Watcher nodded. "Actually, you all are free for the rest of the night. Willow and Tara are still tired from being in a trance for the bulk of the afternoon so they should relax. I'll stay here and straighten up Angel's office, but after the three of you eat I expect you to go upstairs and play a board game, or watch a movie, or some such thing for the rest of the evening."

Willow mock saluted with a grin at the former librarian. "Sure thing, Giles."

"If we have to, we have to," Tara added, smiling at Dawn shoveling her food in her mouth in her haste. "Dawnie, take a breath. We won't get to relax if we have to take you to the hospital."

She ate her last bite and jumped up. "I'm going to go see what games they have here." The teen grabbed her empty plate and bolted out of the office. The other three finished their meals in silence, the girls too tired to attempt conversation.

Dawn rushed back into the office, holding a board game in one hand and a DVD in the other. "I got us a game and a movie. You guys can pick which one you want to do."

They picked up their empty plates and moved to return them to the kitchen, but Giles took the plates from the obviously exhausted girls. "I'll take care of these. You girls get upstairs."

Willow opened her mouth to protest but Giles cut her off. "I'll see all of you in the morning. I'm planning on making breakfast."

"English breakfast or regular?" Dawn asked warily.

Giles rolled his eyes up to look at the ceiling. "Waffles. I'm making waffles. Good night."

The girls laughed and Dawn linked her arms with the tired witches as they headed up the stairs. Xander spotted them as he was coming out of the dining room, his hands full of food. "Hey guys, wait up." He sprinted up the stairs after them, panting noisily as he caught them. "Where we going?" he asked cheerfully, munching on an apple, a bag of chips pinched between his elbow and side, with a box of cookies in his other hand.

"Movie night," Dawn exclaimed excitedly. He cheered loudly and opened their door for them as they reached their suite.

"So we're watching the movie?" Tara asked tiredly, sitting on the couch. Willow sat down beside her, immediately squirming under her lover's arm. It was clear from one look at them that they wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

Dawn looked up from sliding the disc into the player. "Yeah, you guys aren't even gonna make it through the menu so I figured a game would be pointless once you fell asleep on the board. Me and Xander can play cards or something after you two fall asleep."

"Sounds fair," Willow yawned widely, dropping her head onto Tara's shoulder.

The blonde shifted, moving her arm from around Willow. "Wait a second baby, let me lay down first." She stood up quickly and Tara stretched out on the couch, leaning herself back on a pillow against the armrest, opening her arms to her lover. Willow quickly snuggled down into her, resting her head on Tara's shoulder. The blonde pressed a kiss against her temple as she wrapped her other arm around her. "You comfortable?" she whispered as Dawn dimmed the lights.

"Yeah, baby. Can you see over my head?"

"Yes, sweetie. Everything's perfect."

Dawn glanced over at them from her spot on the loveseat barely ten minutes later and they were both sound asleep. She nudged Xander, who was lying on the floor, and he grinned back at her. After a moment he lifted himself quietly to his feet and got a blanket out of the closet in his room. Careful not to wake them, he draped it over both of them, making sure their feet were covered before he laid back on the floor to watch the rest of the movie.


	6. Chapter 5

Willow woke up slowly, keeping her eyes shut. She knew she was with Tara, she could feel the other girl's arms around her shoulder and waist, but she could tell they weren't in a bed. It took her a moment to remember everything that had happened, the horrible year without her and their reunion only days earlier. The feeling of Tara with her, around her, was so familiar that the previous nights without her felt like another life, something she never wanted to experience again. Willow cracked one eye open and could see there was a light on behind her. Slowly, she squirmed her head up onto the pillow enough to lean back and see that the rest of the Scoobies were playing a surprisingly quiet game of Risk. They had turned the lights off on the living room side of the room, but had the single light over the breakfast table on.

While she was trying to decide if she should get up and join them she felt Tara's arms tighten around her. Snuggling willingly back into her lover's arms, she let herself be pulled tight against her. She felt Tara slide one hand from around her waist to the back of her neck, pulling Willow's long hair over her shoulder toward her face, moving it off of her neck. She could feel her lover start to press kisses along the back of her neck and it made shivers run down her spine. Her eyes slid shut and she knew Tara could feel her tremble.

"I love your hair, baby. It's gotten so long." The words were breathed against the back of her neck, and Willow could barely hear them over the blood pounding through her ears. Tara's fingers threaded through her hair and she exhaled slowly, her eyes dropping closed. Tara loved playing with Willow's hair and knew there was no quicker way to make her lover relax. She could feel her start unwinding, her muscles unconsciously relaxing. "That's my girl," Tara whispered to her. "My strong, brave girl. I've missed you so much, Willow. I love you so much."

The redhead's eyes opened a little bit and she turned over to face her lover. Tara pretended to pout as she leaned forward to kiss her. "Why'd you take away my Willow-hair?"

She smiled sleepily and whispered back, "Willow-lips missed Tara-lips," as she closed the space between their mouths. Tara slid her left hand into Willow's hair, holding her head close. After several moments Willow broke the kiss slowly, her hand sliding into Tara's blonde hair. "And like this we both can play. I love playing with your hair. It's so soft." Tara's fingers were still sliding through her red hair and Willow shivered again.

"Yours is almost as long as mine now," the blonde commented. "Are you going to keep it this long or change it?"

Willow blushed for a moment. "I haven't cut it since you died."

Tara looked surprised for a moment. "Your ends look amazing since you haven't cut it in over a year." Willow still had a look on her face and Tara stroked her hair soothingly. "Okay, not a funny moment. Do you want to change it? You know I'll love anything you want to do with it."

Willow looked thoughtful. "I hadn't really thought about changing it. But it could be nice. It was cute short, right?"

Tara nodded. "It was adorable. I love it short."

"But it looks okay long too?"

"Long looks amazing, it's so straight, and there's so much of it."

"How about if I changed the color?"

Tara faltered, she loved the red. "If that's what you want to do, I'm sure I'll love it," she managed. Willow smiled. She knew how her lover felt about her red hair.

She leaned forward and kissed her again. "I'm just kidding baby, I'm not going to dye my hair. I know you love the red."

Tara smirked at her. "You're a vixen, you know that?"

"I might have heard something about that before. Some really hot blonde girl I lived with in college called me that on frequent basis as I recall."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "Really hot blonde? Is she someone I've met?" she asked teasingly.

Willow grinned and nodded. "You're very close to her."

Tara's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God Will, you and Buffy?" Willow's mouth dropped open as well, but before she could whisper a response Tara was kissing her, sliding her free hand back down to Willow's waist, pulling her closer.

Tara slowly pulled back, planting several short kisses. "You're my hot blonde," Willow whispered, trying to catch her breath.

Tara kissed her again. "I know that, sweetie. You're my…" She paused. "Well, everything."

Willow blinked and whispered back, "I know the feeling." She was quiet for a moment, unable to believe how happy she was. "How do we keep going from teasing to tender in two seconds?"

Tara smiled gently. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Willow shook her head. "No, of course not. It's just disconcerting to go from wanting to rip your clothes off to just wanting to stop and stare at you for the rest of the night."

Tara leaned her head back on the pillow. "Baby, you are free to do either one you want. Now you know how I feel every time I see you." Willow moved her head closer and Tara shifted her shoulder so Willow could rest her head on it. She was quiet for a long time and Tara began to think she'd fallen asleep. Soon enough she could hear her lover's breathing steady and slow. Her fingers idly played with the red hair she could reach, perfectly content to just lie there with Willow in her arms.

After a little while, Xander poked his head into her view. "I was just seeing if either of you were awake. We've finished the game and the rest of us are going to bed." He was talking quietly, noticing that Willow was asleep. "Want me to take her to bed for you?" he asked, kneeling next to the couch. Tara raised her eyebrows playfully, smirking at him.

"You had your chance," she teased him. "She's mine now."

He couldn't help blushing, part of him amazed at how much Tara had changed in the time he'd known her. When they first met, she'd have never made such a joke. Willow had really brought her out of her shell. "You know what I mean. I can carry her in there for you. So she doesn't have to wake up."

She nodded and reluctantly removed her hand from Willow's hair, sliding her hand off of her waist. Xander lifted her carefully, leaving the blanket covering her. Tara sat up slowly and waved to Dawn as the younger girl packed up the game. "Good night, Dawnie." When she made it to the bedroom, Xander had placed Willow in the middle of the bed and was stepping back.

"She told me she was going with you," Tara stated quietly, standing next to him. They were both staring at Willow, sleeping peacefully on the bed.

"Are you okay with that? I told her she should stay with you, but she pulled the resolve face, but you could come with us if you want.…"

Tara looked over at him, reaching up to touch his shoulder. "She needs you just as much as you need her, Xander. She needs you whole and happy. I know you have to go through something like this alone. No matter who it is, how much they want to help, no one can really understand how you feel. But whenever you can talk to someone, she wants to be there for you. I can understand that. I'd never ask her not to help you. You don't need me to come, and I'll be here when you guys get back." She smiled wryly. "Besides, Giles is going to need my help with the locator spells for the slayers. We still have a lot of work to do here."

Xander swallowed thickly and she pulled him into a hug. "Will got a good one when she got you, Tara."

Tara smiled against his shoulder. "I got a good one too."

He nodded. "The best," he agreed quietly. She nodded and he stepped back. "Thank you, Tara."

"Nothing to thank me for," she said seriously. "Good night, Xander. Thanks for carrying her in here for me." He smiled and nodded, shutting the door behind him. Tara turned on the bathroom light, closing the door so only a sliver of light made its way into the room. She quickly changed into pajamas and tried to make Willow more comfortable, taking her socks and shoes off, and sliding her jeans off.

She managed not to wake her lover and slipped into bed beside her. She smiled as she felt Willow's arms reaching for her immediately. She pulled the covers up over them and Willow rolled to rest her head again on Tara's shoulder. The blonde witch closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

She woke up to the feel of Willow nibbling her ear. She could help giggling. "Someone's awake early."

"Mm-hmm. I missed out on ripping your clothes off last night."

Tara laughed. "You're the one who fell asleep. I'd have been okay with some clothes ripping last night."

Willow lifted her head from Tara's neck. "So, you're not okay with it now?" she asked, sounding worried.

Tara shook her head, reaching up to kiss her. "It just means that I get to do the ripping," she corrected her, rolling them over so that she had Willow pinned to the bed.

* * *

Giles was as good as his word and had waffles and juice waiting for them as they gradually managed to make it to the kitchen. Willow and Tara actually managed to beat Buffy out of their bedroom, both sighing in relief at missing another public entrance. The Slayer finally made an appearance right before Giles and Wesley left to drive the last group of slayers to the airport.

Giles had given the slayers that were leaving instructions for the locator spell as well as the address of local witch contacts who could be trusted. The slayers were to get the spell performed and email the addresses to Buffy. He had also sent the instructions to the groups that had already left, with directions to report back on the addresses they found.

Buffy dropped wearily into a chair at the table. "Was patrol and the trance too much for last night?" Willow asked worriedly, looking closely at her best friend. "We were wiped, and we were only in the trance."

The Slayer shrugged. "I guess so. Between that and the warnings the Guardians gave me, I didn't sleep very good."

"Well, Giles is getting the addresses of the new slayers he found in L.A. organized so you're going to see them after lunch. Until then, we're kind of in standby so you can try and rest some more if you want," Tara offered, sliding waffles onto a plate for her. Buffy nodded and smiled her thanks as she took the plate.

"I think you should veg out for a while, Buff," Xander chimed in. "Let us handle the details and you just chill out up here."

It was a statement of her mood that she didn't even argue, just quietly ate her waffles and crossed the room to lay on the couch. They left her alone, heading down to the office.

"It's not normal," Xander argued as they reached the ground floor. "There's something wrong."

"She's just tired. She'll snap out of it," Willow objected.

"Guys, maybe everything is starting to hit her. She's been through a lot in the last few weeks and this is the first downtime she's had in years. She's probably trying to deal with stuff," Tara said. "She just lost Spike. The town got destroyed. She has to lead all of these girls, and now she finds out that she might have to fight some of them. Any dream she had of even possibly resting has been snatched away from her. She's spending time with Angel again. She has any of a thousand reasons to freak out."

Willow and Xander looked at each other. "It's probably that." Xander said while Willow just nodded.

"So, what can we do?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we'll just have to help her as much as we can and wait for her to talk to us."

Giles was out with Wesley and the last group of slayers that were leaving, and Faith had the rest outside training.

Xander used the computer in Wesley's office to check his email. "Hey guys, I heard back from Dracula. He says that he knows of a castle in Scotland that he thinks might work for what we're doing. Lots of rooms, underground basement, easily fortified." He looked up at them. "I wish that wasn't one of our requirements."

"Great, we can tell Giles when he gets back, see what the leftovers of the Council can do for us," Dawn said. "So what are we doing until they get back?"

Tara looked at Willow, smiling slowly. "How about you and I go practice some spells?"

Xander smirked. "Is that a euphemism?" Willow blushed and pulled Tara back into the lobby without speaking. "You didn't answer the question!" Xander raised his voice and yelled after them.

"Faith has the slayers outside, so maybe we can just use Angel's office. There should still be some candles in there from yesterday." They entered the office and lit the candles, leaving the lights off.

"So what did you want to do?" Willow asked, seating herself on the floor.

Tara sat down with her and took a deep breath. "We did a pretty serious trance yesterday so it might just be a good idea to just focus on something small, nothing too big. We don't want to wear ourselves out again."

"How about floating pencils and then we can duel them?" Willow suggested playfully, wiggling her eyebrows.

Tara grinned, amused by her girlfriend's childlike excitement for simple things. "Sounds like fun. Let's try it with our eyes closed so we have to concentrate more." She closed her eyes and two pencils floated up out of the drawer of Angel's desk. "You got yours?"

"Yeah baby, I've got it," the redhead responded, taking control of one of the pencils.

They battled with their pencils for a while, alternating racing them and treating them like swords. After about half an hour, Willow let out a sudden scream, grabbing her head with both hands as her pencil shot across the room and stuck into the wall, eraser quivering. Tara's pencil dropped to the floor as her eyes flew open and she reached forward to Willow.

"What's wrong? What happened?" She pulled Willow's hands away from her head, trying to see her face. "Willow, what's wrong?" The powerful witch opened her eyes and Tara was shocked to see that the whites of her eyes were blood red. Before she could move, the color drained out of her eyes, quickly going back to normal. Willow gasped loudly and collapsed forward into Tara's arms.

Tara quickly unfolded her legs, pulling Willow closer to her. "Will, what was that?"

"She was…she was in my mind. She could see everything." The redhead was out of breath, breathing hard.

Tara frowned, brushing hair away from her lover's face. "Who was in your mind?"

Willow didn't answer for a long moment. "A demon. I think she said her name was Saga Vasuki, something like that."

"A demon? What did she want?" Tara was stroking Willow's hair, trying to calm her down.

"She said she can help me."

Tara leaned down to look her lover in the eye, frowning. "Help you with what, sweetie?"

Willow looked back at her. "She said without her help I can't control the magic." She took a deep breath. "She said without her teaching me, I'll lose it again. It'll all happen again." It was her worst fear put to words and she swallowed hard, able to feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"No, sweetie. That's not true. You were controlling it fine until she broke into your mind."

Willow looked frantic. "But it was just a small spell. We were just practicing. What about when it's bigger spells, what about when it matters? I can't do it again, Tara. The power, it took over me. It took me away. It'll take you away again." Tara slipped her fingers over her lover's babbling lips.

"Baby, it's okay. It'll be okay. I promise. Trust me, sweetie." She looked Willow straight in the eyes. "I need you to listen to me. I'm not going anywhere. Do you understand? I'm not leaving you. I'm right here, okay?" Willow nodded and Tara leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. "Willow, you're doing really well with the magic. I want to practice with you, help you however I can. You've been doing spells that are way out of my realm, but I'll study and you can teach me some stuff. I think we should talk to Giles about this demon woman, see what we can find out about her."

"That's a good idea," Willow agreed, starting to calm down.

Tara frowned, one hand still stroking Willow's hair slowly. "I don't trust any demon woman that breaks into my girl's head. It's creepy."

"It felt creepy. It felt a little like she was scoping me out or something." Willow curled closer to her lover.

"Scoping you out? Like your magic?"

Willow tilted her head back to look at Tara and shook her head. "No, like scoping me out in a sexy way. Except it wasn't sexy at all. It hurt."

"Okay, I might have to get with the butch and kill this demon chick. You know I'm not a fan of violence, but nobody messes with my girl." Tara took a deep breath and leaned her head against Willow's. "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"

Willow shook her head slowly. "I feel better. Do you think we should keep practicing?"

"No, I think we should stop for today until we can talk to Giles about what happened. Angel probably wouldn't appreciate accidentally getting staked with a pencil if she hurt you again when we were practicing."

Willow finally cracked a smile. "Yeah, he's weird about stuff like that."

Tara smiled back, relieved. "There's what I was looking for. You sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "I'll tell you if something's wrong. I promise."

"Okay. I know that. I'm just freaked at the idea of some demon who wants you that can break into your mind. I don't want her to hurt you again."

Willow smirked bitterly to stop herself from crying in frustration. She'd worked so hard to put it behind her and now, with one little incident, it felt like it was all spinning out of control. "You'll know if she does it again, cause I'll scream."

Tara frowned. "That's not funny, Will. Maybe we should research ways to protect you from her getting in again."

She started to move like she was going to stand up, but Willow grabbed her hand before she could go anywhere. "Can we just sit for a few minutes? You make me feel better," the redhead asked softly. She swallowed hard, her eyes locked on Tara's. Tara had always been the grounding influence in her life, the part of her that had been missing and it was comforting to have her near.

Tara smiled gently and slid so that her back was resting against the side of the desk. She could see her girlfriend's feelings in her eyes and she twined their fingers together. Willow scooted up between her legs, leaning back against Tara's front. She reached back and pulled Tara's arms quickly around her waist, keeping her own on top. Tara leaned down to press a kiss on the top of Willow's head. "Is this okay?" Willow just nodded, letting her head drop back against Tara's shoulder. The blonde rested her chin on her lover's shoulder and sighed.

They only had a few more minutes of quiet before the door of the office opened, Kennedy entering. She blinked at the dimness and sighed loudly to get their attention. Willow sat up sharply, pulling out of Tara's arms. Tara started to pull her legs back from either side of Willow, not wanting to making either of the exes more uncomfortable, but the redhead put a hand on her knee to stop her. "Hey, Kennedy. How's the training going?"

The slayer shrugged. "Fine. Faith sent me in here to get you. Giles is back and we're having a meeting in the lobby." She didn't linger and the two witches sighed.

"Sorry baby. I guess peaceful time if over," Tara said as they stood up. "We'll have to talk to Giles after the meeting about this…whoever she was." Willow could see that the incident had really upset her lover and she grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving the office.

"It'll be okay, Tara. She might not even try to contact me again. We just need to calm down. We can't stay freaked all the time because of something that might not happen. Okay?" She realized as she spoke how her words could be applied to herself as well as her partner and she forced herself to take a deep breath.

Tara bit her lip, slowly nodding. "I'll try, but I'll feel better once we talk to Giles."

"Me too," Willow said as they blew out their candles and left the office.

The slayers were sitting on the floor of the lobby, scattered in small groups. Buffy and Faith were standing next to a large couch where Xander and Dawn were sitting. Giles was standing next to the opposite arm of the couch. Dawn saw the two witches come in and waved them over. Once they were seated next to their young friend Giles stepped forward.

"I wanted to get everyone together to discuss our plans for the future. With the help of Willow and Tara we've managed to create a locator spell that finds slayers. We'll be using it to contact the newly awakened slayers in an effort to make them aware of their need for training. We're searching for a location in which to house a school of sorts. We've got several locations in mind, but in the mean time we're going to step up your training so that whenever we get the facility in place, you will be able to aid Buffy and Faith with the teaching."

Buffy spoke up. "Anybody got any questions?"

Someone in the back raised a hand. "Are we going to have Watchers?"

Buffy looked at Giles, silently handing the question over to him. "Well, as you all know, the Watcher's Council no longer exists as it once did. We're in uncharted waters now. There's no precedent for this situation. We're going to have to do things differently. There are too many slayers now for us to have a one on one Watcher for everyone. Until we get a handle on our current situation, I will attempt to perform the duties of Watcher for the group. In the future, perhaps we will have more time to train more Watchers to handle smaller groups of slayers. Does that answer your question at all?"

The girl nodded and Buffy asked, "Anyone else?" There was a moment of quiet and she nodded. "Alright. We're going to start contacting new slayers this afternoon so we need you guys ready to teach them sooner rather than later. Faith is going to stay here with you and oversee training for the rest of the day while I go out with Giles to talk to the new girls that we've found in L.A. The other groups that left yesterday have instructions to contact us with the locations of any new girls they find while they're abroad. As soon as we have a more permanent location, they'll rejoin us and we'll start gathering the new girls. Everybody understand?"

The girls all acknowledged her and Faith stepped forward. "If everybody's cool, let's get to work." She turned to look at Buffy with a smirk. "Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that, did you, B?" Buffy grinned at her fellow Slayer and shook her head.

The dark-haired girl led the other slayers out and Buffy turned back to face the Scoobies. "I think that went well," she commented. "How many slayers did we find in L.A.?"

Giles consulted his list. "Six girls showed up on the locator spell."

"Are just you and Giles going?" Dawn asked. "What should the rest of us be doing?"

Buffy looked at her sister. "We'd all go, but we don't want to overwhelm these girls. Something very strange just happened to them and to have six strangers show up on their doorstep might be a little too much. You understand, right Dawn?" She didn't want the youngest Scooby to think that she was trying to cut her out, her shin still remembering the sharp kick she'd gotten in response to her last attempt to protect her sister from the Scooby life.

Her younger sister nodded easily. "Yeah I get it. It's okay. What do you want us to do?"

Willow leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Actually, Tara and I could use some help researching."

Dawn frowned. "Researching what? You guys already fixed the locator spell."

Willow glanced at Tara and swallowed. "Something happened while we were practicing magic earlier."

Giles sat down slowly on the armrest of the couch, looking carefully at her. "What happened, Willow? Are you okay?" His voice was soft, not accusing her of anything, just concerned for her state.

Willow nodded. "I'm fine. We were floating pencils, nothing big, and this…demon woman…she…I only lost control for a second, I swear." Her eyes found Giles', silently pleading for his understanding. He'd helped her in England, the time repairing the rifts her addiction had put in their relationship and they were now more solid than ever. Disappointing him was something she couldn't bear.

Tara squeezed her arm. "This demon broke into Willow's mind. She said that without her help Willow was going to lose control again."

Buffy glanced at Giles before she spoke. "That can't be true. You've been doing fine without any demon's help."

Willow looked up at her best friend. "But what if she's right? What if I can't do this? I can't lose it again. Not like that."

Buffy reached down and grabbed her shoulder. "You won't. You can do this, Will. We know you can. You've been doing fine. And Tara's here, she'll help you. We all will." Tara reached forward and wrapped her arm around Willow's shoulder, her hand squeezing gently.

"Yeah, Willow," Dawn chimed in.

Xander's voice was thick as he joined in, "Will. You can do this. I know you can."

"Did you get a name on this demon? Something we can use to start searching?" Giles asked, smiling distractedly.

"Saga Vasuki, something like that. Have you ever heard of her?"

He shook his head. "Seems like I might have heard the name, but we'll find out for sure who she is and what she wants." He glanced at his watch, frustrated. "Unfortunately, you'll have to start without me. Buffy, we have an appointment with the first girl. We have to go now if we're to make it on time."

She nodded, reluctantly stepping back from the couch. "Keep us in the loop."

Willow nodded, giving her a forced smile. "Good luck with the slayers."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Buffy promised, pulling a set of keys out of her pocket.

Giles reached over and snagged the keys out of her hand. "I'll be driving, if you don't mind."

She rolled her eyes and the rest of the Scoobies laughed. "Be careful," Xander said, grinning at the Slayer and Watcher. Buffy nodded and they left.

"So, what else do we know about this demon?" Dawn asked as the group entered Angel's office.

"She must be extremely powerful with magic if she wants to teach Will. That's somewhere to start," Tara stated, pulling books off the shelves and passing them around.

It didn't take long before Xander was waving them over to look at the volume he was reading. "There's not much information in this one, but there is a picture." He pushed the book out so they could all see.

"Wow," Dawn commented, eyes wide as she looked at the sketched picture. "She's um…wow. Most demons don't look like _that_."

Willow swallowed dryly, glancing at Tara. The blonde was frowning at the picture, her brow furrowed. She reached for her lover's hand and Tara looked at her as their fingers touched. Tara blinked slowly and took a deep breath. Willow leaned over and whispered to her, "She can never have me, baby. I'm yours." Tara nodded and smiled gently. "That's my girl." She kissed Tara on the cheek, turning back to the others. "So, that's her. Let's find out what she wants with me." Tara shot her a look that clearly said she knew exactly what the demon wanted from her. Willow squeezed her hand and they seated themselves again.

Buffy called after she and Giles left the first girl's house. "How's it going? Did you guys find anything?"

Willow responded, "We found a picture and some vague references, but nothing substantial yet. Whatever this demon does, she does it low key. How did the meeting with the slayer go?"

"She seems pretty chill about the idea, but she's never seen a vamp before so that'll change, I'm sure. Her parents are kind of freaked, but she agreed to come train with us. So I'd say it was a success. Giles is driving us to meet the next girl. I'll call you back as soon as we get finished. Call me if anything comes up."

"Sure thing, Buffy. Good luck with the rest of the girls." They hung up and Willow sighed as she pulled her book closer.

Tara looked up from her book at her lover's sigh. "I think I'll get some coffee. Anybody else want anything?"

"I'd love one, thanks Tara." Xander said without looking up from his book.

"I'll take one too, thank you." Dawn agreed.

Willow looked up from her book, nodding tiredly. "Thank you, honey."

Tara stood up and stepped into the outer office. She started the coffee maker, leaning against the wall. She took a deep breath, her eyes sliding closed as she heard the coffee start dripping, rubbing her hands across her eyes. They were aching and she could feel a headache coming on. She looked up quickly as she heard someone come in. "Hello Angel."

The vampire nodded in greeting. "What are you all researching now? Buffy said you had finished with the locator spell."

Tara sighed. "Some demon forced her way into Willow's mind while we were practicing magic this morning. We're trying to figure out what she wants but we're not having much luck."

He frowned, leaning back against the desk and crossing his arms over his chest. "She got a name?"

"Saga Vasuki is what I think Willow said she called herself."

"I think I've heard of her. From what I know she teaches witches. With as strong as Willow's gotten I'm sure this Vasuki has heard of her."

Tara frowned, not comforted. "Can we trust her?"

Angel shrugged, his perpetual scowl solidly in place. "I have no idea. I've heard some strange rumors about her, though."

"Like what?" Tara reached out and grabbed four coffee cups, fixing the drinks the way each person liked their coffee, some part of her surprised that she still remembered everyone's preferences.

Angel hesitated. "I heard she's very…personal…with the people she teaches."

The witch scowled as picked up the coffee cups. "That's what I was afraid of."

He poured himself a cup of blood from the small fridge. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more. I hope you guys figure out what she wants. I've got something I'm working on, but I'll see how things are going when I get back."

Tara nodded and took the cups back to his office and set them out in front of each of them. She couldn't resist standing behind Willow's chair, running her fingers lightly through her red hair. Her partner turned slightly to look up at her. "You okay, baby?" Tara forced herself to blink and nod. She sat down beside Willow and started reading again. Willow looked at her for a long moment, taking a sip of her coffee. She reached over and put her hand over Tara's, slipping her fingers through her girlfriend's. Tara squeezed her hand and she smiled, mouthing 'I love you.' Tara finally smiled back and returned it.

"I talked to Angel while I was making the coffee. He said he'd heard of this demon. From what he's heard, she teaches witches. Pretty powerful ones. He didn't know anything else."

Willow frowned, noticing Tara's roughened voice. "So she really does just want to teach me?"

Tara glanced down at her book. "There might be _one_ other thing she wants from you." Dawn and Xander looked up from their books, all of them able to hear Tara's tone.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, taking a drink.

Tara looked back at Willow. "Angel heard a rumor, something about her and her students being…more than friendly."

Dawn looked between the two witches, seeing the looks on their faces. Xander's mouth dropped open. "You mean, she…whoa…she wants Willow?"

Tara swallowed. "It seems so." She paused, smiling weakly at Willow. "Not that I can fault her taste."

Willow grinned back at her, over exaggerating the expression in an attempt to be reassuring. "Well she's out of luck if she's planning on getting with me. I'm a one woman girl."

Dawn was smiling at them both, a little bit amused. It wasn't as if there was any chance that Willow would ever let herself lose Tara again, so this whole turn of events seemed funny to her. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I want to keep her out of my brain. So we should look into that, too. Maybe I'll research that, and you guys can keep looking for information on her. I want to know more about who we're dealing with."

Dawn nodded and dove back into her book. Xander pulled a new one off the shelf, getting back to work.

"I'll help you look for a way to shield your mind. I want to keep her out of there, too," Tara said, standing up and searching the bookshelves. Willow stayed at the table and Tara brought her a book.

They researched steadily until the phone range again several hours later. Xander answered. "Hey Buff, how's it going with the slayers?"

"Good, we just left the last girl's house and we're on our way back. How's it going with the research on the demon chick?"

"Angel had some info, but the research is still hitting a wall. She teaches witches, very powerful witches. But he's heard that this demon likes to get very…personal with her students. That's all we have so far."

"So she wants to…she wants Willow? How's Tara taking that?"

Xander glanced at the two witches with a smirk. "Not thrilled, but it's not like anything will ever happen."

Buffy laughed. "That's true. Well, we're on our way so we'll be there soon to help."

"Thanks, Buffy. We were about to stop and grab some dinner, but we'll wait until you get back and you can fill us in on how the meetings went while we eat."

Tara looked up as he hung up the phone. "I'm not hungry. I'll stay in here and keep studying." Her voice was distracted and she dropped her gaze back to her book without waiting for a response.

He glanced at Willow, who shared his look before she turned her head to look at her lover. "Tara, baby, we all need to eat and rest our eyes. We can't research all night."

The blonde looked up from her book and nodded slowly, taking a deep breath as she saw Willow's obvious concern. "Okay, I know that. I'm just kind of freaked by all of this."

"I am too, baby. There's only so much we can do." She paused. "And there's nothing we can do if we're too tired to think. I need you healthy and awake."

Tara smiled softly. "Okay, point taken. I'll stop to eat dinner."

They had only been researching for about twenty minutes before they heard Buffy and Giles return. The Slayer and Watcher came immediately to the office.

"Find anything else?" Giles asked. Xander pushed the book with the picture over towards him.

"Here's her picture. Does it ring any bells?"

Giles frowned. "Actually, it does. I think I've heard of her. She's very powerful. I should be able to learn more with a few phone calls."

Xander stood up. "Great. These girls haven't eaten since breakfast so I'm going to insist that we take this party into the dining room."

Willow pulled Tara reluctantly to her feet. "You promised you'd eat," she reminded her.

Dawn joined the group and they crossed the lobby to the dining room, getting dinner for themselves. They sat down together and Dawn asked her sister, "How'd the slayers take it?"

"Most of them were pretty freaked. They all agreed to come train with us though, so it was a successful day. For the most part. Too bad we're getting nowhere on the slutty demon."

Giles coughed a little around his food. "Hopefully I can turn up some information after dinner."

"So Buff, are you going to hit the research fun with us, or are you going to help Faith with the slayers?" Xander asked around a mouthful.

Buffy grimaced. "You make them both sound so appealing." She grinned across the table at Willow. "Just kidding, I'm all over the research. I've had enough slayer duty for today and since I don't think I'll ever have that option again, I'm going to pick best-friend duties over work."

"Angel said he'd stop by after his case tonight and see how we were doing," Tara commented. "He's the only reason we have the tiny bit of information we have."

Willow could hear the frustration in her lover's voice and she touched Tara's knee soothingly under the table. The blonde's free hand covered hers immediately, squeezing her fingers tightly. Their eyes met and Willow smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek softly.

As they finished eating, Faith brought the other slayers in from training. Buffy stepped over to speak with her for a minute as the rest of the Scoobies went back to the office. Willow stopped Tara in the lobby, pulling her to sit on the couch. "You have to calm down, baby. You're worrying me."

"I'm sorry Willow, I just can't stop thinking about it."

The redhead grinned. "Is it so odd that someone wants me?" she teased, trying to break the mood.

Tara shot her lover a look. "Of course not. That's not odd at all. I want you all the time. I don't like that she can break into your mind, that she can hurt you."

"It worries me too, but it only happened the one time. Until we figure out what caused it I need you to try and calm down. I can't relax if I know you are so stressed out." She leaned her head against Tara's, tilting her head down to kiss her softly. "Can you do that for me?"

Tara nodded. "Consider me calm." She still looked distracted though, so Willow did the next thing she could think of and kissed her again, deeper this time. Hands curled into hair and Willow pulled her closer, arm wrapping itself around Tara's waist. The blonde didn't put up even the slightest resistance, both of her hands combing through Willow's hair.

They broke away from each other when Buffy cleared her throat loudly. "Apparently you two aren't too worried about this demon," she said with a grin.

Willow looked pointedly at Tara with a toothy grin, and the blonde smiled, her lips reddened by the kisses. "That was kind of the point of the kissing," Willow said, still smiling widely. "Tara hasn't been able to relax since it happened so I was trying to keep her mind off it."

Buffy laughed. "Well, don't let me interrupt you, it looked like it was working."

Willow grinned and looked at Tara, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Tara smiled and put her hands on her shoulders, thumbs stroking in gentle circles. "You know I'd love to, but I want to make sure you are safe first." Willow pretended to pout and Tara gave her a short kiss. "Later," she promised in a whisper.

Buffy joined them as they went into the office, falling into step with the witches. Giles was just hanging up the phone as they came through the door. "Got any leads on the demon?" the Slayer asked, pulling up a seat at the table.

"Hopefully. I did learn that what Angel told us is true. She does train very powerful witches and she forms very…sexual relationships with her students. As a matter of fact…" He hesitated, glancing at the two witches, obviously not eager to finish the sentence. "She exists on an entirely separate realm. The only way for a student to gain access to her is through the…completion of sexual intercourse." He looked uncomfortable, reaching up to clean his glasses.

Both witches were sitting stiffly in their chairs. They exchanged nervous looks, Willow just blushing by Tara bit her lip anxiously. Tara spoke first, "Okay, we need to find a way to keep her out of your head. Giles, do you know of a spell or charm or something that will keep her out of Willow's mind? Anywhere we can start looking?"

"Like an un-vitation spell for your brain?" Xander asked, trying to break the awkward tension in the room.

Willow cracked a weak, tiny smile, looking at Giles. "I don't know of anything off the top of my head, but we'll find something." His voice was steady and it calmed them all, Giles sitting down as they went back to their research.

No one noticed when Willow dozed off several hours later. It was well past midnight and everyone was nearing their exhaustion point. Angel had come and gone hours before. Xander looked up from his book to point something out to Willow and saw that the redhead was passed out on the table. "She's worn out. Should I move her?" He looked at Tara. "That can't be comfortable. I can go put her out on the couch in the lobby."

The witch hesitated, thinking it over. "We should just go to bed. We're not doing much good if we all fall asleep at the table." She reached over and gently shook Willow awake. "Honey, you fell asleep in the office. Let's go upstairs and go to bed, alright?" The redhead blinked sleepily and nodded. Tara helped her stand up and they all set their books aside to trek upstairs.

They didn't bother to turn on any lights in their suite, everyone just splitting off to their own rooms in the dark. Willow barely made it into pajamas before she was asleep again. Tara pulled the blankets up over her and finished getting ready for bed. She was in the bathroom brushing her hair out when she heard Willow scream. She was in the bedroom a heartbeat later. The bedroom door banged open after a few seconds, Buffy running into the room with the others right behind her.

Willow had her hands pressed tightly against her temples and Tara and Buffy gingerly pulled them down. Tears were running out of the corners of her eyes, her face locked in a grimace of pain. She couldn't catch her breath, and as her eyes opened, Tara saw the same red color drain out of them. Willow groaned loudly as the pain receded and Tara pulled her into her arms, leaning her exhausted lover against her own body.

"Will, was that her?" Willow was still trying to steady her breathing and Buffy turned her questions to Tara. "Was that what happened last time?" The blonde witch nodded, her attention still focused on Willow. The Slayer turned to look at Giles. "What was that? What made her eyes do that?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like that. It was extraordinary. Unfortunately I haven't the slightest idea what it was or how to stop it," Giles said regretfully.

Willow finally spoke, her voice weak. "It's okay, guys. She said she'd back off for tonight." She took a deep breath. "She wants to meet me."

"In her sexy realm?" Xander asked incredulously. Dawn stomped on his foot, shooting a look towards Tara.

"We can talk about it in the morning," Buffy said, eyes traveling between the group. "It's late, and we're all tired. Can we trust her not to attack you again tonight?"

Willow nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "I think so. She said she'd wait for me to contact her. I get the idea that she won't wait long, but I think we're safe for tonight." She could feel Tara trembling behind her and she yawned widely. "We can figure the rest out in the morning, okay?" The rest of the group nodded and went back to their own rooms, closing the witches' door behind them.

Willow pulled herself gently out of Tara's grip, turning to face her. "Baby, I'm okay." She made sure she was looking Tara straight in the eyes. "I swear to you. I feel a little weak, but I'm okay and I'm right here." She leaned forward to hug her, one of her hands slipping into her lover's blonde hair. "Talk to me, Tara. It's so much scarier if you don't talk to me."

Tara took a deep breath, her arms tight around Willow. "I can't bear to see you in pain like that. I don't want to sleep because I'm afraid I'll wake up to you screaming. If she can come at you when you're using magic or sleeping, anytime she hurts you I'll be there. I'll see it and there's nothing I can do for you. I hate this feeling."

Willow swallowed, eyes moving around their room, studying the unfamiliar decor. "Baby, do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

Tara looked at her sharply. "Of course not. What would make you think that?"

"At least that way, if she did come at me again while I was asleep, you wouldn't have to wake up to me screaming."

Tara interrupted her, "That wasn't what I meant. I don't want to sleep without you. Ever. It just terrifies me that there's nothing I can do to protect you or help you."

Willow looked at her seriously. "Can you do something for me?"

Tara nodded immediately, swallowing through a dry throat. "Anything, sweetie."

"Can you just lay here with me and hold me?"

Tara leaned in and kissed her softly. "Anytime."

They laid down and pulled the blankets up over themselves. Willow curled as close to her lover as she could get, pulling Tara's arms tight around her.

"I love you, Willow." Tara heard her lover reciprocate and she tried to settle down enough to sleep. It was light outside before she stopped trying.


	7. Chapter 6

Tara was surprised when there was a quiet knock on the door not long after daybreak. The hotel was still quiet, the only sounds the small ambient noises of water flowing through pipes, the soft creak of floorboards, and she'd assumed that she was the only one awake until she heard the knock. She didn't want to leave Willow, so she called quietly for them to come in, sitting up against the headboard as she did so. Dawn entered and shut the door behind her.

The younger girl crawled up on the foot of the bed, careful not to disturb Willow. "Is she okay?" Dawn whispered as she looked Willow over carefully. The witch appeared to be sleeping peacefully on her side with her back to Tara, tucked under the blankets with obvious care. Tara was sitting next to her lover, but was sitting on top of the blankets, her arms crossed over her chest to keep herself from anxiously touching Willow and inadvertently waking her up.

Tara smiled tiredly at Dawn, dragging her eyes off of Willow's steady breathing. "Actually, she's been sleeping like a baby."

"But you haven't," Dawn said quietly. "Have you slept at all?" The blonde witch shook her head, looking down at her lover. "She's not going to be happy about that, Tara. You know she worries about you just as much as you worry about her."

"I know Dawnie. I just couldn't stand not being able to see for myself that she was okay. And we've all gone longer than this without sleep before."

Dawn sighed, shaking her head at her elder. "Willow loves you, Tara. She'd never even think about leaving you for some sex addict demon."

"I know that," Tara said quietly, ducking her head and sending a wave of hair across her face.

The younger girl reached over and touched her arm to draw her eyes up. "Then why are you so scared about it?"

"What if this demon is right, and I can't help her? What if I'm not enough? What if this demon is the only one that can help her and I have to let her go?" Tara asked, the anxious thoughts that had kept her up all night rising in her throat to choke her.

Dawn thought carefully before she answered, smiling softly. "Tara, you saw how hard she's been working. She lived with that coven in England and she's been really careful about what she does and how powerful she is. She knows how dangerous it is now. She knows how deep the darkness inside of her is, and how much it cost her last time she crossed those boundaries. She'd never let it happen again. It's like, her worst nightmare now. Well, that and losing you again." She paused and looked Tara in the eye. "She'll never let either one of them happen." It was clear as she spoke how she felt about her surrogate parents, the people who'd protected her during that horrible summer after Buffy had died.

"When did you get so smart, Dawnie?" Tara asked, smiling fondly at her friend.

Dawn grinned, relieved to see the smile. "You were gone for a year. We all had to do things we didn't want to do."

"Like grow up?" Tara asked teasingly.

"Yes, and Buffy still won't let me get my driver's license! I'm a junior in high school and I can't even drive yet," Dawn complained, barely keeping her voice down and glancing guiltily at Willow.

"Buffy's old enough to be graduated from college by now and it could be argued that she can't drive yet either," Tara responded, grinning.

"American driver's licenses won't work in Scotland anyway, Dawnie. You'd just have to relearn how to drive on the wrong side of the road. Might as well wait until we get settled," Willow chimed in, her voice sleepy, rolling over to look at them. As soon as she saw Tara's face she knew that her partner hadn't slept. "You need to sleep, baby," she chided gently.

"Told you she'd know," Dawn said, smirking at the blonde witch.

"Dawnie's very smart," Willow said seriously, nodding. "Why didn't you sleep? I know you're exhausted."

"I just couldn't." Tara shrugged, knowing that the excuse wouldn't help her avoid Willow's concern.

"Not good enough," Willow said promptly, crossing her arms across her chest and putting on the resolve face. "Dawnie, can you tell everyone I'll be out once Tara falls asleep? You guys don't wait on us for whatever we've got going on today."

Dawn grinned. "Sure thing, Will. I'm pretty sure Giles is already downstairs looking for more stuff on that demon lady. I'll just go help him." She bounced off the bed lightly. "Good night, Tara. Sleep good."

"Bye, Dawnie. Thanks," Willow said as she left, shutting the door behind her.

"Willow…" Tara tried to explain herself, but the resolve face didn't waver.

Willow opened her arms. "You come here," she said simply. Tara slowly lowered herself in her lover's arms. "I know you're worried and scared, but I won't let you wear yourself out. I'm awake now so there's nothing to worry about, alright? I'll be here, and you can sleep."

Tara nodded, already feeling herself starting to fall asleep. She looked up at Willow, smiling as the redhead stroked the dark circles under her eyes. "Only for a little while, okay? I want to help with the research."

Willow leaned down and kissed her. "We'll see. Probably Giles will find something soon, and they won't even need us." Her lips moved to either cheek and she kissed her again.

"Please Will, promise." Tara was almost asleep, but she didn't want to give into it until she'd gotten this promise from her girlfriend.

"Four hours at least, then I'll wake you up. And don't even try and fake it. Deal?" Willow reasoned, fingers stroking through Tara's hair. Tara could only nod as she finally succumbed to sleep. Willow just curled herself around her lover and shut her eyes, her own anxious worries keeping her awake.

Four hours later, she regretfully woke the blonde up. Tara rolled onto her back, Willow leaning on an elbow to look down at her. "Feel better, baby?" the redhead asked, touching her face softly.

The blonde nodded, smiling sleepily at her. "Thank you for resting with me."

Tara leaned her head forward, a hand reaching up to pull Willow's head down, kissing her. Willow reacted immediately, opening her mouth and gently pushing her way into her lover's mouth. She shifted one of her legs, planting her knee in between Tara's legs. Tara's other arm came up to pull Willow's waist tight against her. Willow pulled back slowly, both girls breathing hard. "Too much?" she asked quietly. Tara shook her head, pulling her back down.

Several hours later, Willow was amused to discover that Tara had fallen asleep again while she had been in the shower. She made sure the blonde was comfortable before she quietly snuck out of the bedroom. She hurried down to the lobby, anxious not to be gone long. She rushed into the office, the others scattered around the room. "I'm not staying, I'll take some books back upstairs with me. Tara's sleeping, I don't want to be gone when she wakes up." She looked around. "Are you guys having any luck?"

Xander shook his head. "Still can't find anymore information about the demon, but Giles has some stuff on a way to shield you."

"Have you guys eaten anything?" Dawn asked, leaning her head on one hand while she turned pages with the other. Willow just shook her head, scanning titles on the table.

Giles stood up to retrieve another book from the shelf. "I can bring the information I have up to the suite shortly if you want to get something to eat for yourself and Tara."

"Thanks, Giles. Everybody, I really appreciate all the help with this." She scooped up several books before dashing back out, crossing to the kitchen to pick up some food before rushing back upstairs.

She snuck back into the bedroom and had just put the books down beside the bed when Tara started to wake up. She slid back onto the bed, leaning over to kiss her lover on the forehead. Tara stretched slowly, groaning happily. "Did I wear you out, baby?" Willow teased, clicking on the bedside lamp.

Tara cracked one eye open slowly. "Mmhmm. Why are you wearing clothes? Did you go somewhere?"

"Just downstairs to grab some books. I didn't expect you to be awake yet. I got us some food too. We kind of missed lunch."

Her lover's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "It's after lunch?"

Willow smiled and nodded. "Yeah we were…busy…it's almost two."

Tara stretched again, turning to put her head in Willow's lap. The redhead reached down and absently started playing with her hair. Tara's eyes slipped closed and Willow adjusted the shade on the lamp to keep the light out of her face. "Giles said he might have a way to shield me from the demon. He said he'd bring it up here soon." Her voice was low and distracted as she spoke, most of her attention on Tara, watching the soft strands flow around her fingers.

Tara groaned, head rocking into the touch. "That means I have to get up."

Willow grinned, laughing. "I really did wear you out."

"Hey, you can wear me out like this any time you want to, baby." She frowned thoughtfully. "You didn't just sleep with me to make me sleepy, did you?"

Willow laughed again, leaning over to press a kiss against her lover's hair. "Tara, we didn't make love for a year, we have a lot of time to make up for. I might have wanted you to rest some more, but the only reason I will ever have for sleeping with you is because I love you and I want you."

"That's two reasons," Tara corrected her, smiling happily, pleased by the answer.

"They go hand in hand. Like fish and worms. Um, bad metaphor…"

"Oh baby, you trying to turn me on?" Tara asked, smile turning playful, and she giggled.

"I have to try now?" Willow asked, faking indignation.

"Absolutely not," Tara replied, leaning up for a kiss. Their teasing was interrupted by the sound of Giles entering the suite, and Tara groaned again, dropping her head back in frustration. "I guess that's my signal to get dressed."

Willow shot her a look, green eyes able to picture what was under the sheets easily. "I can handle this and you can just wait here for me. You don't have to get dressed." She blatantly ran her eyes down her lover's body and gave her a brief but thorough kiss.

Tara blushed crimson, sitting up and pulling the sheet over herself, breathing hard. "Clothes. Clothes are good."

Willow pouted. "Just don't get used to them," she ordered as she stood up, turning at the door to look back at her lover. "I'll just be out here talking to Giles. No hurry."

"I'll be right there." She looked around at the scattered mess of clothes on the floor, still holding the sheet to her chest. "As soon as I can find my clothes."

The redhead grinned widely as she opened the door, winking at Tara as she shut it behind her.

Giles had books spread across the breakfast table and looked up when Willow appeared. "Is Tara resting well?"

"Oh, she was, but she woke up. She'll be out in a few minutes." She joined him at the table, hoping that he didn't notice the blush on her cheeks. "So what kind of mojo do we have to work to keep this demon out of my head?"

He slid a book around to her, pointing out a relevant passage. "Do you intend to meet with her?"

"I don't intend to have sex with her, so that might limit my chances to meet with her. If she contacts me again I can ask her if she'd be willing to meet somewhere else, but I'm not going to her realm."

"Well, so far, she's contacted you when your mind was vulnerable - when you were sleeping, or concentrating on a spell. If this spell works the way I think it will, we should be able to block her out of your sleeping mind. She'll still be able to contact you when you're practicing magic, but the spell would let you sleep in peace."

Willow nodded, reading. "That's much better than nothing. It looks complicated though, it's going to take some work to get it set up." She looked up from the book. "Would I have to sleep alone, or could Tara stay in the field as well?"

"That would be her decision. The spell will create a field that will prevent magic being used within it. It would be safe for her to be in there with you, but you would both be unable to use your magic until the spell is brought down."

"Do I have to stay inside the field or can I move in and out of it?" Willow asked. "I don't like the idea of being trapped with no magic."

Giles consulted another book. "We should be able to create the spell around your bed and you can enter and leave at will. You'd only be powerless within the limits of the spell."

The bedroom door opened and Tara came out, fully dressed. "What did I miss?" She joined the pair at the table.

"Giles found a spell that can block magic within a confined space. If we put it around the bed, it'll keep her out of my head while I'm sleeping."

Tara nodded, smiling. "That sounds great, what a relief."

Willow touched her hand, wanting the blonde's full attention. "Baby, you wouldn't be able to use your magic inside the field. You'd be defenseless if you were in there with me."

Tara sat down in the chair beside her, thinking. "Willow, we're sleeping next door to the Slayer in a hotel full of slayers. There's nowhere else on Earth I'll be safer than with you."

Giles coughed uncomfortably. "Yes, well, we have some supplies to gather, but we should be able to have the spell activated before you go to bed tonight."

Tara stood up. "I'll clean the room while you two get the supplies."

Giles stood up as well. "I can get what we need. I'll talk to Wesley about the supplies on hand. We should be able to get anything else we need from a local magic shop. Is there anything else you two need me to pick up?"

Willow shrugged. "All of our supplies were in Sunnydale. We should restock on the basics. Tara and I can come with you. We just need a few minutes to straighten up and eat. We can meet you in the lobby after you talk to Wesley."

The former librarian nodded. "Buffy is going to help Faith with the training this afternoon and Dawn and Xander are still researching so we have time to shop for our supplies." He consulted some books, writing. "I'll just make a list of the supplies we need for the shielding spell."

"Thanks Giles. We'll scarf these sandwiches and we'll be right down," Willow replied, heading into the bedroom with Tara.

The blonde was scooping Willow's clothes off the floor. "The only downside to our having multiple outfits is now we have to clean them. We'll have to do laundry soon," she commented, shaking out a shirt and hanging it over her other arm.

Willow opened the closet door. "In the mean time, let's just put them in here. We can go to a laundry mat sometime soon."

Tara sighed and reluctantly dropped the clothes into the closet. Willow leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I know how clean you like to keep things, but it's just for a few days." Tara turned her head, kissing Willow. The redhead pulled back as they both heard her stomach growling. Tara grinned at her, feeling almost overwhelmed by how happy she was. "I guess I'm hungry," Willow said sheepishly. "We _have _been kind of busy all day."

They both dug into the sandwiches Willow had brought up, holding hands casually. They quickly finished eating and rejoined Giles down in the lobby.

"You girls ready to go?" Giles asked. "Angel loaned us his car again so we wouldn't have to drive the bus."

Willow paused in the doorway. "I know we need the information, but Xander and Dawnie have been working hard all day. How about we give them some time to chill while we're gone?"

Tara smiled fondly. "That's a good idea, sweetie."

The redheaded witch went into the office. Dawn was leaning heavily on one hand, yawning. Xander was reading, one hand curled around a cup of coffee. Willow smiled at her friends. "Hey guys." They both looked up at her. "We're making a run to the local magic shop. You guys take a break until we get back. We can pick up on the research after dinner."

Xander frowned. "You sure about that, Will? We can keep going with the finding nothing at all."

She smiled again, shaking her head. "I really appreciate all the help you've all been giving me, but you need to rest. She'll still be there whenever we get back. You guys go take a nap, or watch a movie, or something."

Xander looked over at Dawn. "What do you say, Dawnie? Up for another movie night?"

She grinned and subsequently yawned. "I might take a page from Willow and Tara's book and fall asleep before the menu, but I'll give it a try."

They pushed their books back, standing up. Dawn squeezed Willow in a hug as she walked out. Xander put his arm around her as they both went back into the lobby. "Hey Tara, you guys have fun at the magic shop." He and Dawn started to walk up the stairs. Turning back around, Xander called, "Come get us before you guys eat dinner."

Willow laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "Sure thing, Xand."

They found the supplies they needed for the spell easily and picked up some other basics. The phone rang as they were leaving the magic store and Willow answered it. "Hey Buffy, how's the training going?" Willow asked as she dropped her bags into the trunk of the car.

The Slayer sounded distracted and out of breath. "Fine. I'm calling because some guy from Germany called for Giles, something about the demon chick we've been trying to find."

"Okay, thanks Buffy. Make sure to get a number we can call him back on. We're on our way back."

"I'll do it. See you soon."

They hung up and Willow climbed into the backseat of the car. "Buffy said some guy called from Germany for you with information about the demon. She's getting a number for us to call him back on."

"Excellent. Hopefully we can put this business with the demon woman behind us soon. I'll call him back as soon as we get back to the hotel."

The traffic wasn't bad and they pulled into the hotel a few minutes later. Willow and Tara carried their magic supplies up to the suite while Giles went to return his phone call. They opened the suite door to hear Dawn and Xander laughing at a movie. They waited for a quiet moment to cut in front of the television, dropping the bags in their bedroom. As they came back into the living room Xander pulled his legs up, giving the girls room to sit on the other end of the couch.

Dawn paused the movie, turning around to be able to see them better. "So what's up?"

"We're going to do a spell to keep the demon out of Willow's brain while she's sleeping and Giles is on the phone with someone with information about the demon," Tara summarized.

Xander nodded, smiling. "Sounds good. Well, until he gets up here, how about you guys join us?"

Willow nodded back. "How's Buffy doing with the slayers?"

He shrugged. "She's been outside all afternoon. We'll have to grab her for dinner and get an update."

Dawn turned the movie back on and they watched it quietly for a while until the door to the suite opened again to let in Giles. She turned the movie back off and they greeted the Watcher.

"Xander, Dracula is on the phone for you." The carpenter jumped up, rushing out the door without waiting to hear anything further.

"Don't even think about leaving this hotel!" Willow yelled after him. "I'll know if you do, Xander!"

She opened her mouth to talk to Giles, but Tara spoke before she could. "What did you find out about this demon?" Willow could tell that Tara was still anxious and soothingly squeezed her girlfriend's hand, giving her a smile.

Giles sat down in an armchair, hands unconsciously fiddling with his glasses. "Well, this Saga Vasuki teaches powerful witches. Her training is highly sought after, but she chooses her own students and won't teach just anyone." He glanced at Willow. "No one's ever turned her down."

Willow returned his look. "Well someone's about to," she said seriously, turning her head back to look at Tara.

"Do we have any clues on where she is?" Dawn asked.

Giles nodded. "Of a sort. I was told how to contact her so you wouldn't have to experience the pain of her forcing her way in."

"I'm not having sex with her," Willow said plainly, her hand taking Tara's.

"Ah yes, the way I was speaking of doesn't involve sex. Just a short ritual. You wouldn't be entering her realm, but you would be able to converse with her," he quickly clarified, blushing uncomfortably.

"Thank God," Tara said, closing her eyes as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Willow grinned sideways at her. "If you're so disappointed I can change my mind about the sex thing," she teased, squeezing her lover's hand.

Dawn laughed as Tara opened her eyes, shooting a look at the grinning witch.

"Not funny," Tara responded, grinning herself, her relief palpable.

"There is a small hitch. The ritual can only be done at the…ah..um…" He looked supremely uncomfortable and leaned over to hand a sheet of paper to Willow. "You can read it for yourself."

Tara read over Willow's shoulder, glancing at her girlfriend's face as she finished reading. "Oh…well. Thanks, Giles. I'll…um thanks, Giles. I can handle this." Willow was blushing bright red and he looked just as uncomfortable as she did.

"How much longer…er…when will you be able to perform the ritual?"

"Should be this weekend by the latest," she responded, keeping her eyes locked on her hands, cheeks still burning hot.

Dawn was looking curiously between the two. "What is it? What's the big deal? Does she have to be naked or something?"

"No, Dawn," Giles spoke quickly, glancing at the witches. Abruptly he stood up. "I'll go prepare for the shielding spell. He rushed into the witches' bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Dawn looked at the door and back at Willow. "What's going on? Why's Giles freaked?"

Willow glanced at the door with a small smile. "Giles has never had daughters…or a long-term live-in girlfriend. I think living with a thousand slayers might drive him around the bend." She looked back at Dawn. "I can only perform the ritual on the first day after my…time of the month."

"Oh…" Dawn grinned. "So that's why he freaked. Giles is scared of girl stuff."

Willow grinned back, her blush fading. "I guess so."

Tara smiled. "We shouldn't pick on him. Girl stuff is no fun for anyone."

Willow looked at her, nodding. "You're right, baby. We should go help him with the spell. It's not his fault that demon is a creepy pervert."

Dawn grinned, standing up. "I'm going to go see how Xander's doing on the phone with Dracula." She paused. "Do you think he can get turned into a man-bitch over the phone?" she asked over her shoulder as she left the room.

Tara and Willow joined Giles in their room, all of them silently resolved not to mention the details of the ritual to spare themselves more embarassment. "What do we have to do?" Willow asked.

Giles held up a vial of white sand. "We define the perimeter of the spell with this. I think we should make a circle that encompasses your bed, but we'll have to lift the bed to make sure the circle is complete. Could one of you lift the bed while I make the circle?"

Tara glanced at Willow. "Maybe I should do it. Just so the she-demon doesn't take it as an invite to hurt you again." Willow sighed and nodded, stepping back.

Tara recited the spell and the bed lifted smoothly off the floor, finally hovering about six feet from the floor. Giles quickly started the circle of sand, careful to keep it steady with no gaps. When he came out from under the bed, he nodded to Tara who carefully placed the bed within the circle, cautious that no corner was left out. She thoughtfully left the bed about two feet from the wall.

She took a deep breath as she ended the spell. "What's next?"

Giles consulted his instructions and pointed to a bag of candles. "We place the candles at two foot intervals around the circle." Willow took care of putting the candles between the bed and the wall.

She climbed down off the bed, careful not to disturb the sand. "Are we going to have these lit all the time or is this just for the initial spell?"

Giles looked up from grinding up ingredients. "Once we perform the spell only the circle of sand needs remain in the room. The candles can go."

Tara and Willow set out the remaining candles while he finished combining the dry ingredients. Once he was finished he showed both witches the incantations they would need to recite to do the spell. They got into position and lit the candles. At Giles' nod they began the spell. The sand glowed brightly for a moment before fading to black. Giles carefully dropped the mixture he'd made into each of the candle's flames, moving in a clockwise circle around the room. The last candles were behind the headboard and he had to stretch his arm carefully, anxious not to touch the circle of sand at his feet. As he finished, a red wall of light shot up toward the ceiling, gradually becoming transparent.

He stepped back, surveying their work. Willow poked tentatively at the barrier, grinning as her finger slid through, ripples of light moving away from her hand. "It feels cold." She looked at Giles. "Should I try it?"

He nodded. "Try something small. If we've done it correctly, the barrier should prevent anything from happening."

She stepped carefully inside the barrier, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She murmured a spell but the barrier flashed and nothing happened inside and she looked at them with wide eyes.

She stepped back through the field after a moment. "It feels weird to not be able to use the magic. At least there's no withdrawal symptoms. The uncontrollable shaking and night sweats were a pain." Tara smiled a little sadly, reaching over to take her hand. Willow smiled back, squeezing her fingers. "Worth it though. Totally worth it."

Giles double checked his directions. "We should be able to remove the candles now. The field will stay up until the sand is disturbed. You two will just have to be careful not to step on it accidentally."

Tara nodded, stepping carefully into the field. She slowly tried to summon a tinkerbell light and looked surprised when nothing happened. She came back out. "I'm glad we'll be able to keep her out of your brain."

"Thank goodness it's not permanent though," Willow said, eyeing the space she knew the field occupied.

Giles nodded. "Well, after you perform the ritual, we'll be able to put this whole business behind us."

They heard someone come into the suite and they quickly blew out the candles and reentered the living room. Dawn came out of her bedroom, carrying several pills in her hands.

"Buffy sent me up to grab some aspirin for her," she explained.

Willow frowned in concern. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Dawn was quick to explain further. "She's alright, just has a headache. She's still getting used to being the boss. They're done with training and Buffy is waiting for us in the dining room. Xander has news from 'the dark master.'" She imitated Xander's sniveling with a grin.

"Dawnie," Tara chided her as they walked down to the lobby. The younger girl shot her an apologetic look as she crossed the dining room to drop the pills in her sister's hand. The Scoobies gathered their dinner and seated themselves together.

"How'd the spell go?" Buffy asked, poking at her food listlessly.

Tara smiled. "Seems to work perfectly. We both tried it. Just, if anyone else goes in our room, be careful no to disturb the circle of sand around the bed."

"Thanks for the heads up," Xander said, taking a drink.

"And how's Dracula today?" Buffy asked, mustering a grin.

He rolled his eyes at her. "He seems lonely. He's got the specs for the castle he told me about. He's mailing them to us here. If everything looks like it will work, we can send someone to check it out and we can finally start putting down roots."

"Excellent," Giles said. "Thank you, Xander."

Willow glanced at him, turning her fork over in her fingers idly. "Maybe that could be our trip? You and I can go check out the castle."

He looked up at her. "That's a good idea, Will." He glanced at Tara, who smiled reassuringly at him. "Thanks. We should have the information on the castle in a few days. Will that mess with your ritual for the demon lady?"

She glanced at Tara, blushing lightly. "I need to do the ritual this week. I'm not sure which day yet. Probably Thursday or Friday. Could we wait until then?"

He nodded easily. "Sure thing, Will. I don't want us globetrotting if you're still being stalked by this demon." He looked at Tara. "And I'm sure nobody else does either."

"Thanks, guys," Buffy chimed in. "I really appreciate all the help you're giving me with the slayer stuff."

Willow looked over at her in surprise, her expression echoed by Xander. "We're family, Buffy," she said seriously.

Xander spoke up. "I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about. Along the lines of helping with the slayer stuff." He turned his head to look at Giles. "How about training me as a Watcher?"

The Watcher choked on his food immediately, Buffy reaching over to pat him on the back helpfully.

Xander grinned widely. "I'm going to overlook my instinct and pretend that was an accident. What do you say?"

Giles was gaping at him, stunned.

"I think you broke him," Dawn commented.

"I think it's a great idea," Willow chimed in earnestly.

Buffy nodded. "Me too."

"You need the help. And I want to help." He hurried on to circumvent the protests he knew the others would raise. "I know that I help with the research and the rebuilding of stuff that breaks, but I want to be a real part of this. I know it's not going to be easy, but I think it's something that I'd be good at."

Giles blinked and closed his mouth, swallowing. "Thank you, Xander. Your help would be greatly appreciated." He looked at the young man seriously. "And you will be a good Watcher."

"He's going to learn from the best," Willow said, glancing between her best friends and the older man they all thought of as a father.

"That's true." Buffy grinned widely at him.

Giles looked at the young people at the table. "Well, thank you, all of you." He took a deep breath. "Xander, we can begin your studies as soon as you and Willow return from Scotland, if you wish. That will give you time to deal with your trip and I will have time to figure out how to adapt Watcher training to handle multiple slayers. Perhaps we can have a Watcher for each squad of slayers." His voice trailed off as he began thinking.

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy said. "Hopefully the castle will work out and we can start with some serious planning soon."

"We're doing well so far. No one in history has ever done anything like what we're doing," Giles said reassuringly.

Willow grinned. "That means there's no one to set a high curve."

Dawn groaned. "Don't remind me about school."

Tara spoke up. "Dawnie, we probably should talk about school a little bit. You didn't get to finish your junior year. We should talk about getting you back in school."

Dawn looked at Buffy. "Where am I going to go to school? We're going to be traveling and then maybe living in Scotland. How can I get my diploma?"

Buffy looked back at her sister with a shrug and a sigh. "I don't know, Dawn. It is something to think about. We don't want you to be a drop out. You have way too much potential to waste." She glanced down at her plate. "You deserve your chance to get out of this life."

Dawn glanced around the table at the others. "This is something we should talk about. I want to help too. I don't want to just turn my back on you guys. We're family."

"We know you do, Dawn. We _are _family. We have to look out for each other. At least finish high school, though, okay? I'll never try to send you away again, I promise you that. But we won't resent you if you want to leave," Buffy said seriously, looking her sister in the eye. "Mom would've killed me if I didn't at least make you finish high school."

Dawn nodded. "I know. I'll finish high school at least. And maybe I can find a college near wherever we end up."

"Thanks, Dawn," Buffy said, smiling thankfully at Tara, grateful to not have to be the one who had brought it up. "We'll find a way for you to finish high school. I'll add it to my list of things to do."

"What's on the list for tonight?" Willow asked, looking over at the Slayer.

She sighed heavily, dropping her head onto a hand. "I have no idea. Giles?"

He looked at her thoughtfully, compassion on his face. "I can't think of anything." The others looked at him in surprise. He met their looks evenly. "You have the night to yourself, Buffy."

They smiled at him gratefully. The Slayer needed this more than she realized.

"What's on the docket for us?" Xander asked.

Giles shrugged. "I was just going to check and see if any of the slayers have sent in addresses for the new slayers. Other than that, I think Faith was going to take the slayers here out on patrol."

"So we're all free?" Tara asked, looking at him.

The Watcher nodded and the young people grinned at each other. He smiled and excused himself to Wesley's office to use the computer.

Dawn jumped to her feet and Willow grinned up at her. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I just want to move and jump around or something. When's the last time Buffy had a night off with no crisis to deal with?"

"Can we just relax tonight?" Buffy asked and they could all hear the weariness in her voice. "Dawn, how about you find us another board game? Preferably one with nothing to do with world domination or strategy. I get too much of that in my day job."

Dawn grinned, throwing her arms around her sister's shoulders. "Sure thing, Buffy." She went to check on the hotel's stash of games, leaving the table in a pocket of silence in the midst of clamoring slayers.

"I'll meet you guys upstairs." Buffy glanced around the room and sighed. "I'm going to step outside for some air." She got slowly to her feet and went through the lobby and out the front doors of the hotel.

The rest of the Scoobies exchanged a long look. Tara stood up. "You guys keep Dawn company. I'll go check on her."

Willow sighed. "I should probably go help Giles with the computer, but I'll catch up in a second."

Xander nodded, moving to intercept Dawn while Tara followed Buffy outside.

The Slayer was leaning on the wall, her eyes closed. Tara moved to stand beside her, not saying anything.

"Did you guys draw straws or something?" Buffy asked without opening her eyes.

Tara smiled. "No, I volunteered. We're worried about you. Would it be a stupid question to ask how you're doing?"

Buffy cracked a small smile. "No, not stupid. I honestly don't know how I am anymore. I've almost forgotten how it feels to rest. I don't see another opportunity for that coming anytime soon. The town is gone. The Hellmouth is closed and I should have time off, but now I have to deal with all these girls. And Spike…" She paused heavily. "Spike…he saved us. Did you see that?"

Tara nodded. "I did. He really loved you, Buffy."

She sighed. "I know that."

Tara took a step closer to her friend's side. "I'm so, so sorry."

Buffy turned in a rush, hugging Tara tightly. She was surprised to feel tears running down her face. "He was so different. He did so much for me. He loved me so much, Tara."

Tara held her friend tightly. "I know, Buffy. I know."

"I loved him too. I did. I never told anyone." She was sobbing against the witch's shoulder.

Tara lifted a hand to the Slayer's hair. "He knew it. He knew how you felt about him. I know he did." Buffy just sobbed and Tara just held her. Slowly her sobs slowed and she leaned her forehead against Tara's shoulder.

"Sorry, Tara. I don't know where that came from." The Slayer's voice was still tired, but under control.

Tara lifted Buffy's chin to look her in the face. "You never have to apologize for being honest, Buffy. You've gone through more in the last three weeks than happens to most people in a year. You have to let loose sometimes. None of us will ever begrudge you emotions."

Buffy wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Tara. I appreciate it, but I don't have time to break down like this."

Tara smiled gently at her. "I understand that, sweetie. Just remember that any of us are ready to listen any time you need us."

Buffy rolled her shoulders. "Can I go upstairs without giving myself away?" Tara nodded and the Slayer smiled back at her friend. "Thank you, Tara. I mean it. I can't do this without you guys."

"We love you, Buffy. We're family, remember?"

They turned to go back inside. "I'll never forget it."

The rest of the Scoobies had already set the board game up on the floor of the living room and changed into their pajamas by the time they got back up the suite.

Buffy grinned at them. "Give us a second to get changed and we can start."

They separated into their bedrooms, Willow following Tara into their room. "How is she?"

Tara faced her partner, drawing in a deep breath. "She's got a lot of stuff to work through. She's exhausted and lost. There's not much we can do for her except try and help her as much as we can."

Willow leaned up and kissed Tara on the forehead. "Thanks baby, you're a good friend."

Tara smiled and squeezed Willow's hand. "We'd better get back to the game."

Willow grinned. "I'm doing nothing to stop you from changing into your pajamas. I'll just stand here and enjoy the view."

Tara smirked, raising a finger to point at her. "You keep your hands to yourself." Willow pouted and Tara looked at her over her shoulder. "Just for now, baby." The redhead grinned widely at the addition, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her teeth.

"This had better be the shortest game night ever," Willow declared, running her eyes over her lover.

"Sweetie, everyone is exhausted. I'll be surprised if the game goes more than five rounds." Tara finished putting her pajamas on and they went back into the living room. Buffy was right behind them and they joined Xander and Dawn on the floor. The two had poured glasses of milk for everyone and Xander had surrendered his stash of cookies to the group.

They played for a while, a radio playing softly in the background. Gradually, everyone started drooping. By the time Giles came upstairs he was amused to see that no one was really even paying attention to the game, instead they were all just resting, leaning against each other. Willow and Tara were curled up next to each other, leaning against the base of the loveseat and Xander had a Summers sister leaned against each shoulder.

He cleared his throat and his young charges all looked up at him blearily. "Perhaps it's bed time?" They all slowly got to their feet without speaking. "I'll pack the game up for you. You all just go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks, Giles." Buffy was the first one into her room, Dawn following her. Xander helped Giles with the game and the two men went into their rooms. Tara helped Willow up, pulling her into their room.

As the door shut behind them Willow turned to look at the circle of protection they had set up for her. Tara saw what she was looking at and gently kissed her lover on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to getting to sleep tonight."

Willow looked at her with a smirk, putting her hands on her lover's hips and gently pulling her closer. "But not anytime soon, right?"

Tara smirked right back. "Oh, of course not."


	8. Chapter 7

The spell worked and the two witches awoke after peaceful sleep. Tara woke up before Willow and busied herself reading one of the books Willow had brought up the day before, leaning her head on her sleeping partner's stomach. Her concentration was disrupted when Willow's hand started moving through her hair. She tilted her head back to look up at her. "Good morning, lover." Willow's voice was sleepy. "What are you reading?"

Tara put the book to the side, leaning her head into the caresses. "I was just researching some spells." She turned again so she could put her head on Willow's shoulder, pulling the sheet up over them and snuggling close. "This is much better, though."

"I've been trying to think of ways to help Buffy," Willow said quietly, fingers still combing through her hair.

Tara smiled, pecking a soft kiss to her neck. "What have you come up with in that head of yours?"

"What if we teach Dawnie?" Tara looked surprised. "We're both smart enough to get certified to home school her."

"We should talk to Dawnie about it, but I think that's a great idea. Are you going to have time for it and magic practice?" She moved closer and put a hand on the redhead's stomach, tracing invisible patterns in the soft cotton.

Willow shrugged. "I can make time to do it. I just want to help Buffy."

Tara leaned up to kiss her. "You're sweet, baby. We'll figure it out." She smiled at her as she pulled back.

Willow looked at her girlfriend, her face slowly becoming serious. "I don't want to beat a dead horse, but are you _sure_ you're okay with me leaving with Xander?"

Tara leaned her head closer to Willow's neck, nodding. "I'll feel better about it if we've got this situation with the demon under control. Like he said, I really don't want you leaving if she's still hurting you. That's the only reservation I have with it. He asked me if I wanted to come, but even with you there, it's something he's going to have to go through alone. I told him I'm fine waiting here for you to get back to me."

Willow shivered as she felt Tara's breath on her neck, leaning her head against her lover's. "You're the best, Tara."

Tara smiled and pressed a lingering kiss against Willow's neck, making her shiver again. "How long do you think you'll be gone with Xander?"

"We haven't really talked about it. Probably a couple of days. I don't even know when we're leaving because we can't get tickets to Scotland until I know for sure when I can do the ritual." One of Tara's hands slipped down to rub her lover's tummy under the shirt. Willow couldn't stop her eyes from dropping closed as she felt Tara's gentle fingers lightly moving over her skin. "How could I have lived so long without you?" she wondered aloud.

Tara's fingers stopped moving, her hand lying still on Willow's stomach. "It doesn't matter. We're together again."

Willow shook her head, looking down into her partner's face. "I'm not talking about the last year, I mean the whole thing. How could we have gone eighteen years without each other?"

Tara could only smile up at her. "I have no idea, my love." She touched Willow's face gently. "I'd wait for you forever."

Willow smiled back sadly. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. I know I screwed it up so many times, lost you, hurt you, so much, and I'm so sorry…" Tara put her hand quickly on Willow's mouth, cutting her off.

"Willow, sweetie, you're the person I love more than anyone else in the world. The past is behind us. Please don't ever think that I haven't forgiven you. I love you. I know that you'd never do anything to hurt me again."

Willow smiled down at her, kissing the fingers that were still pressed against her lips. "I never would, not for any reason, ever. I swear." Tara's hand pressed down again, stopping her from talking again.

"Willow, you don't have to prove yourself to me." Tara sat up and leaned her forehead against Willow's. "I'm yours." She pulled back, her smile fading into something serious. "Will, can I ask you to think about something without you getting freaked?"

Willow frowned, but nodded slowly. Tara took a deep breath. "Honey, I don't think I'm strong enough to help you practice magic at the level you're at now." Willow opened her mouth to protest, but Tara continued, "I'll get stronger, I know that, but I want you to have the training you deserve. You're so powerful, baby. You can do so much, so much to help, so much good. You're so strong, Will." She swallowed thickly. "If you decide, after you talk to her, that this Vasuki can help you, I want you to go train with her."

Willow's mouth dropped open as she shook her head, suddenly pale. "Baby, Tara, no." She touched her lover's face quickly. "I won't do it. I'm with you. You want me to…"

Tara quickly put her hand back on the babbling redhead's mouth gently. "Sweetie, no, I don't want you to leave, never. I just want you to think about it. If she can help make you stronger, more controlled, then it might be worth considering. That's all I'm saying, Will." Willow's head was still shaking back and forth and she let her hand drop down onto her neck.

The redhead looked stunned, tears welling in her eyes. "Tara, you can't ask me to do that. Please, baby. I just want you."

Tara looked surprised, realizing she had misunderstood Willow's objection, her hand sliding up to wipe away the tears. "Willow, I don't _want _you to sleep with her. I just meant that…God, this isn't coming out right at all. Sweetie, this isn't about sex at all. Of course I don't want you to sleep with her, I just think that if she can help you it might be a small price for us to pay." She tried to smile, the result merely looking choked. "I can't get mad if it was my idea, can I?"

Willow squeezed her eyes shut, more tears spilling out, and Tara wiped them with her thumb. One of Willow's hands came up to grab hers tightly. The teary green eyes opened and Tara could see that her lover was upset. "Tara Maclay, you will listen to this." She paused, voice trembling. "I will never, for any reason, sleep with anyone who is not you ever again. Not for magical training, not to save my own life. I love you. I'm so in love with you, Tara. I never thought I would feel this again. I didn't want to. You're it for me. You always will be. I don't want it any other way. Do you understand? I don't want her. I just want you."

Tears ran down Tara's face and she nodded. Willow leaned in and kissed her, free hand sliding into the other witch's blonde hair. Tara kissed her back immediately, sliding her hand from Willow's stomach to grip her hip, pulling the redhead down underneath her. They broke apart as air became an issue, Tara bracing herself on her elbows above Willow.

"I'm not doing this with anyone but you, baby." Willow reached up to nip at Tara's earlobe. She could feel tremors run through her arms as she tried to keep herself from collapsing onto her lover. The redhead didn't help her, sliding a leg up over her hip, pulling her closer.

"Willow," Tara groaned. "Please, Will. I need you." She didn't have time to say any more as Willow's mouth connected with hers in a rush.

* * *

The next time either one of them spoke Tara was leaned against the headboard, Willow's head pillowed on her chest, legs intertwined under the sheet.

"I wasn't expecting that when I brought that up," Tara mused to herself. Willow smiled to herself and gently bit the junction of her lover's neck and shoulder. The blonde twitched and sighed as she felt Willow's tongue on her skin soothing the bite.

The redhead pulled back, looking up at her seriously. "I meant it, Tara. I'll talk to this demon, but I absolutely will _not_ sleep with her. If we can work something out where she will teach me without propositioning me, I'll think about it, but otherwise it's not happening."

Tara nodded, still breathing deeply. "That's all I wanted with all of that earlier. I just want you to think about it."

Willow looked at her thoughtfully. "Could you really do it? Let me walk out the door to go have sex with someone else?"

Tara blinked and swallowed, her voice quiet. "I trust you, Willow. It would be physical, that's it. I know you love me."

Willow smiled and kissed her softly. "It wouldn't drive you crazy to know I was spending time doing spells with someone who wanted me? Even without the sex, just to know that she was thinking about me like that, wanting me, and we would be practicing spells together…" She leaned her head closer to her lover's ear, whispering, "You remember what it was like for us, when we first started practicing together."

Willow's lips were brushing her earlobe and a shiver ran through Tara. "Okay, yes, it would bother me." She took another deep breath. "I know how it feels to want someone immediately and not be able to do anything about it, and it _would_ bother me to think of her being like that with you. But Willow, I want you to have the best training you can get. I want you to be the best witch you can be, and if she can offer you that I don't want to stand in your way."

Willow shook her head, smiling gently as their noses bumped against each other. "Baby, I told Kennedy this, and I guess you need to hear it too. _You_ are the best part of me. Me with you is me at my best. You make me the best witch, the best person, I can be. You could never stand in the way of something I want because you're the only thing I want. You don't hold me back, you make me better."

Tara smiled back, tears in her eyes. "I know you can do anything you want to, Will, and I know that you are more than capable of controlling the magic. I just don't want you to feel obligated to me."

Willow frowned and looked confused at that. "I _am_ obligated to you. You're my girl." The statement was simple and confident and seemed to steady Tara. The blonde leaned her head back down against the headboard, Willow snuggling back into her. After a moment she spoke again, "You wanted me right away?" The redhead's voice sounded amused.

Tara glanced down at her, blushing. "God, yes." Her voice was barely a whisper. "The first time I saw you at that meeting. And then I crashed into you in the hall and I was lost. Every minute with you from then on just made me more in love with you."

Willow smirked, arm snaking around her waist under the blankets. "And then Buffy broke the Gentlemen's box and you got introduced to the babbling. Must have been disappointing."

Tara laughed, shaking her head, and Willow felt her heart beat faster at the sound, burying her face in Tara's neck. The blonde ran a hand down her back, squeezing her gently.

"Are we okay, Willow?"

Willow picked her head up slowly. "Of course we are, Tara. Just don't ask me to have sex with other people anymore, okay?"

Tara grinned. "That wasn't exactly my point, but I'll keep that in mind."

Willow faked a serious face. "See that you do." She broke into a smile, glancing at the window. "We're going to make quite the entrance at…" She looked at the clock on the nightstand, groaning as she saw the time. "Eleven-thirty. I just hope Xander is already downstairs."

Tara smirked down at her. "I'm pretty sure everyone assumes we're having sex all the time anyways."

Willow grinned. "They're just jealous." Abruptly the grin slipped. "Oh gosh, they are. We're the only couple. Everyone else is all alone." She looked down. "Do you think we should cool it when we're in a group? I've been very hands on since you got back. Do you think they're mad at us? Should we stop?"

Tara smiled crookedly at her lover. "Is that a rhetorical question, sweetie? I'm not ever going to be in favor of a plan for you to keep your hands off of me. I don't think anyone is mad at us. They understand that we haven't been together in a year. They love us and they're happy for us. We can ask them if it'll make you feel better, but I don't think any of our friends will be mad at us for being together."

Willow blinked at her. "I'm being silly, aren't I?" The blonde nodded, grinning. "They still love us even if we have sex every time the door closes behind us." Tara blushed brightly at that, but nodded again.

Just then there was a knock on their door, and the two girls looked at each other quickly. "Wait a second," Tara called at the door, both witches jumping up and scrambling around for clothes, careful not to disturb the sand around the bed. Tara found her clothes quickly, Willow stumbling into the bathroom as Tara opened the door a crack. Dawn was on the other side, clearly having heard them rushing around.

"Good morning, Dawnie. What's going on?" Tara reached over her shoulder absently to fix the tag of her shirt.

The younger girl grinned, shrugging. "Not much. I was just checking on you guys. How'd the spell go last night?"

Tara opened the door wider as she heard the bathroom door shut behind Willow. "It worked well." Dawn came in the bedroom, stepping carefully over the circle of sand as she sat down on the rumpled bed.

"Looks like you guys slept well." Dawn grinned while Tara cleared her throat.

The blonde witch sat down on the bed next to her, grinning. "Willow thinks everybody is mad at us for being couple-y all the time."

"I was just concerned they _might_ be!" the redhead shouted from inside the bathroom.

Dawn laughed loudly and exchanged glances with Tara. "Well, I can't speak for everybody, but I was surprised to see you the first day after we got here…I figured you guys would stay in the room all day."

Tara smiled. "Are we really that bad?" Willow came out of the bathroom just then, straightening her shirt.

Dawn grinned at them as the redhead jumped over the barrier and landed on the bed with them, laying on her belly. "No, you guys aren't bad. It's cute." She smirked as Tara absently reached over and played with the ends of Willow's hair. The blonde realized what she was doing and pulled her hand back quickly, shooting a look at Dawn.

"Hey!" Willow complained. "I was appreciating that." She rolled onto her back, dropping her head firmly into Tara's lap. Dawn giggled and the redhead stuck her tongue out at the younger girl. "I have a hot girlfriend, Dawnie. It's just a burden that I have to bear." Tara's fingers slid back into Willow's red hair and her eyes slipped closed.

Dawn grinned and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, you seem like you're really suffering, Will."

They all looked over at the door as Buffy poked her head in. "Ooh, girl time." She quickly shut the door behind her, climbing on the bed next to Willow.

Her sister grinned at her. "Buffy, you spend all day with girls."

The Slayer grimaced, scoffing. "I know that, but they're not _my _girls. I miss you guys."

Willow grinned at her best friend, head still in her lover's lap. "Well, we're always willing to hide you. You can't be the Slayer full time. Especially now that there's a thousand out there."

Buffy smirked. "Yeah, but I'm the best of them. They need my leadership and experience." Her imitation of Giles was perfect.

Dawn rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, Buffy, we know you're the best. I thought you were trying to get some girl time."

Buffy grinned, nodding. "You're right, no more work talk. What were you guys talking about?"

Willow tilted her head back to look up at Tara. "If I recall, we were discussing my burden of having such a gorgeous, amazing girlfriend."

Tara blushed and spoke up in a hurry, "And we were talking about how Willow is afraid that everyone thinks we're too couple-y in front of everybody. We can talk about that some more. We don't have to talk about the other thing." Her voice was rushed and Willow grinned cheekily up at her.

"Too couple-y?" Buffy asked, smirking at the pair. "As long as we haven't walked in on anything naked, I'm cool with it." She paused, grinning. "Xander's good with anything at all you want to show him, you know that." Willow rolled her eyes and Tara groaned. "He might argue that you should be more couple-y around the group. Maybe some hands under the shirts?" Willow kicked a pillow into reach with her foot, grabbing it and swatting at her best friend. Buffy laughed and blocked it absentmindedly.

Dawn laughed. "Imagine Giles' face." Willow paused in trying to smack Buffy with the pillow and the girls all burst out laughing. They slowly calmed down, trying not to picture the Watcher's expression.

Willow was still giggling as she tried to change the subject. "So Buffy, what's up with you and Angel? Anything there?"

The Slayer glanced at Tara and back at her best friend. "Well, he's been really great about helping us and letting us stay here." Willow shot her a look, eyes narrowed. "That isn't what you meant, but I don't know if anything is there. It's been a long time, Will." She looked at Dawn, swallowing with a dry throat. "And there's…there was…you know, Spike."

Willow's eyes went wide. "Spike? Buffy…Spike?" She sat up, looking serious. "I'm sorry Buffy, I didn't know…was it serious? I mean I knew he was different, but I didn't think you had ever trusted him that much. Did something happen that night you left the house?"

Tara took sympathy on the Slayer and shushed her girlfriend. "Baby, you're babbling and Buffy can't answer if you don't take a breath."

The Slayer gave her a grateful look and took a deep breath. "Well, I didn't trust him at first, but having his soul really changed him. He really loved me, Will. Not like the creepy 'in love with me' like it was the first time, but really, really loved me."

Willow glanced at Tara for confirmation, able to see it on her face immediately. "You loved him too," she realized, her mouth dropping open. Buffy nodded, glancing down at her hands. "You never said anything! I'm your best friend, and you never said anything!"

"Willow, we were kind of busy, and it's not like it was something I was expecting. It just happened. He was different, it was different this time. It wasn't about sex."

Dawn chimed in. "I'm not sure this is a question I want answered, but did you two ever…you know, after you two left?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, no sex. He just held me. He told me how I was being an idiot and he just let me sleep, he kept me safe." She took a deep breath and seemed to hold it.

Willow reached forward slowly and touched her friend on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Buffy. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry that he's gone."

The Slayer nodded, slowly releasing her air. "Me too."

"How much have you told Angel?" Dawn asked curiously.

Buffy shook her head again. "Not much. He has an idea that something was going on, but I haven't had the heart to tell him everything."

Tara looked carefully at her, sympathetic. "Do you still love Angel?"

Buffy nodded. "Yes, I've always loved Angel. I'll always love Angel, but that doesn't change our issues. And everything is still too…fresh. I can't be with either of them anymore. I told Angel that I needed time to figure out who I'm supposed to be. I love them both and I'll never have either one of them."

Willow hugged her. "I'm sorry, sweetie. We joked in high school that all of our relationships were doomed. I never thought we'd be so right."

"I'm not going to be offended by that," Tara said primly, trying to break the gloomy mood.

Buffy smiled at her over Willow's shoulder, grateful for the effort. "Tara, it goes down in the book as a doomed relationship if you die."

"I came back. We're rewriting the book." She arched an eyebrow and pretended to look haughty.

Dawn laughed and Buffy couldn't contain her grin. Willow slowly released her best friend and grinned at her lover.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," Willow gloated.

Dawn faked confusion. "Willow, are you dating someone because I don't think I've heard you mention her at all…you would think we might hear something about it, that's all I'm saying." Her sarcasm was blatant and she couldn't help grinning at the witches.

Willow just stuck her tongue out and Buffy rolled her eyes. "So mature, Will. I'm so glad Dawnie has someone so very mature looking out for her." She grinned at her best friend. "Oh, and speaking of girlfriends, you never filled us in on how it went with Kennedy." She pointed around the room at the scattered clothes and rumpled sheets. "I'm guessing it's over with her, but I can't be sure."

Tara rolled her eyes, and Willow grinned at her. "Sorry, Buffy. I would have told you, but all the stuff with the demon lady has been keeping us busy."

"That's all that keeps you two busy I'm sure," Buffy teased.

"Okay, do you want to hear the story or not?" Willow asked, blushing.

Tara spoke up. "I actually haven't heard what happened there either. All I know is you went to talk to her and then when you got back we started researching with Giles."

Buffy and Dawn exchanged glances, the sisters obviously not buying it. "Uh huh…researching, sure," Dawn said flatly.

Willow shook her head. "No really…_believe _me." Her frustration was obvious. "Giles just waltzed in and was completely oblivious and didn't leave us alone _all day_."

Dawn grinned. "So what happened with Kennedy?"

Willow glanced at her lover as she started to talk, keeping her eyes on Tara as she related her encounter with the younger slayer.

"So you completely broke her heart?" Dawn commented, looking between the two witches as the story finished.

Willow looked over at the younger girl. "Dawn! I don't know. I hope not. She deserves to be happy."

Buffy smiled gently at her friend. "You did the right thing, Willow. She'll be okay eventually. It'll just take a while. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, once you fall for Willow, you stay fallen." She looked at Tara, winking at the witch. "Right, Tara?"

The blonde nodded quickly. "Oh, absolutely. There's nothing you can do to get over Willow." She paused, smiling crookedly. "Not that I ever intend to try."

Willow blushed. "You guys are making being in love with me sound like falling in a hole or something."

Tara laughed and shrugged. "I can say definitively that it feels nothing at all like falling in a hole." Willow's blush got brighter and she flopped down onto her back to put her head into Tara's lap again. The blonde resumed playing with her hair immediately and Willow sighed happily.

Dawn was grinning at them. "We should order a pizza or something. I know you two haven't left the room at all today. I'm sure you're hungry."

"We could leave the room if we wanted to," Willow said with a smirk.

Buffy grinned at the pair. "Well, I don't want to leave the room. I'm having fun away from the slayers. Can we drag the TV in here and watch a chick flick or something?" She started bouncing excitedly on the bed.

The witches laughed while Dawn jumped off the bed, avoiding the sand on the floor. "I'll go call about a pizza and see if the TV is bolted down." She left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Aww, I've missed excited, happy Buffy. It's been a long time since I've seen her," Willow commented with a wide grin.

The Slayer flopped backwards on the bed, swinging her arms through the rumpled bed sheets. "It's been a while since I've seen her too…I dimly remember being excited…we should mark the date on the calendar so we don't forget this time," she suggested, rolling onto her stomach.

Dawn came back in, pushing a TV on a cart. Buffy jumped off the bed and rushed to help her sister. They got it set up in the corner and Dawn pulled DVD cases out of her back pockets. "The closest thing they had to a chick flick was this, and I grabbed this too in case we wanted something different." She held the cases up for inspection and Buffy pointed to her choice. Dawn quickly leaned over to put it in the player. "I ordered a large Hawaiian pizza. It should be here in about an hour. Wesley said he'd call up and let us know when it gets here." She hopped back onto the bed with the other girls and laid down quickly, her feet up near the headboard.

Tara scooted back to lean herself against the pillows and Willow quickly took her spot in between her lover's legs, leaning back against the blonde. Tara wrapped her arms around her girl's waist while Buffy leaned back against the other half of the headboard, Dawn's feet lying in between the two blondes.

Wesley called halfway through the movie and they paused it while Dawn rushed downstairs to collect their dinner before Xander found it. She dimmed the lights as she came back in and munched on the pizza while they finished the first movie. Night had fallen outside as they put in the next movie. Buffy was amused to notice that Dawn and Tara had both fallen asleep. Willow had switched seats with her lover and the blonde had fallen asleep against her chest. Dawn had her head pillowed on her arms and was breathing steadily, still at the other end of the bed.

Buffy nudged Willow, pointing at Dawn with a smile. Willow grinned and glanced down at her partner sleeping against her. Buffy saw the look on her best friend's face as she looked at Tara and couldn't help reaching over to touch Willow's hand. "I'm so happy for you, Willow," she whispered, the TV glow only lighting half of Willow's face as she turned her head to look back at the Slayer.

"I want to marry her, Buffy." The words were whispered, but Buffy could hear the rampant emotion in the witch's voice.

The Slayer's eyes went wide. "Oh my God, Will. Are you serious? Of course you're serious. Oh my God. Can I be Maid of Honor?" She struggled to keep her voice down. "Have you asked her yet?"

Willow shook her head slowly, glancing down to make sure Tara was still asleep. "No, I haven't done anything yet. I haven't even really thought about it, but I know it's what I want." She took a deep breath, one hand sliding through her lover's hair. "We were talking this morning and she was saying she didn't want me to feel obligated to her, but I love her, Buffy. I love her so much and I just want to show her, all the time." She looked up at her best friend. "Am I being crazy? I mean she was dead for a year…and now she's back. But she's only been back for a few days. But I've been in love with her since the first second I ever saw her. Even when she was dead, even with Kennedy, I still loved her. But proposing? I'm crazy, right?"

Buffy shook her head, smiling in the dimness. "No, Will. Not crazy. She loves you too. There's no way she'll say no. What happened this morning?"

"We were talking about me going to Scotland with Xander and she asked me to think about something without getting freaked and she told me she wanted me to go train with that demon if I thought she could help me."

"Whoa." Buffy frowned at that. "Are you going to do it?"

Willow shot her a sharp look. "Of course not! I told Tara that, told her that there was no one else I was going to sleep with, for any reason. And she said she didn't want to stand in my way if there was a chance this demon could help me make my control stronger. She said she knew it would just be physical and she wouldn't get jealous. But Buffy, I don't want to, I don't want to have sex with some demon, don't want to practice magic with some demon. I don't want to do any of that with anyone but her. I just want her, for the rest of my life."

Buffy smiled at her gently. "I'm proud of you, Willow." The two friends exchanged a long look. "Okay, what can I do to help? I want to be in on the planning." Willow grinned at her excitement, glancing around to make sure both girls were still sleeping. "And I was totally serious about being Maid of Honor. I know Xander's been your best friend forever, but he would look horrible in a floor length dress."

Willow covered her mouth with a hand to keep from laughing aloud at the image. "Fine, you can be Maid of Honor. He can be Best Man. That work for you?"

Buffy nodded happily. "Just pick good dresses."

"Deal." Willow paused. "Oh my God Buffy, I'm gonna get married!" Her voice was high pitched, but she was still whispering.

Buffy laughed quietly. "You will once you ask her. How are you gonna ask her?" The Slayer rolled onto her side to face the redhead.

Willow looked freaked. "I don't know. How do people do this? What do I do? Buffy, you have to help me. I don't know what I'm doing."

The Slayer reached over and touched her hand, trying to calm her down. "Will, shhh. It's okay. You could do anything and she's not going to turn you down. Just do something she'll appreciate."

Willow nodded. "Something she'll appreciate. I can do that." She paused. "I'm never going to be able to pull this off. As soon as I get a ring I'm not going to be able to wait." Buffy grinned widely. "I'm going to ruin this." Willow groaned, leaning her forehead against Tara's head.

"That's the great part Will, you can't ruin it. She'll love anything you do. Even if you just run in the room and throw the ring at her."

Willow looked up at her, making a distasteful face. "Now I have a bar to shoot for. Thanks, Buffy."

The Slayer was still grinning and she giggled quietly. "That's what I do, Will. Let's take it one step at a time. You need a ring. Do you want me to come shopping with you? Can I come shopping with you? Please? Will, please?"

"Sure Buffy, thanks." Willow nodded, grateful for any suggestion to keep her from panicking.

"Okay, now we just need to…" Her voice trailed off as the witch they were talking about stirred against Willow.

Tara blinked slowly as she woke up. She could see Buffy grinning at her and she turned her head slightly to look up at Willow. "How was the movie?" The other girls looked guiltily at the television which showed the menu screen of the movie they had supposedly been watching.

"Um, it was pretty good. Very exciting," Buffy said, smirking at Willow over Tara's head. "You and Dawnie both crashed. She's still asleep."

"How was your nap, baby?" Willow asked, leaning down to press a kiss on Tara's hair.

The blonde stretched slowly against her, snuggling herself closer. "Really good."

"And you didn't hear anything we were talking about?" Willow asked, glancing nervously at her. Tara frowned up at her and glancing at Buffy, who was looking at Willow with her eyes wide.

She shook her head. "No, what did I miss?" Willow looked decidedly guilty, and Tara shifted her gaze to Buffy. "What's going on?"

The Slayer smiled and shook her head. "Nothing's going on, Tara. We were just talking and Willow just wanted to make sure that we didn't wake you up."

Willow nodded quickly. "That's all, didn't want to wake you up."

Tara clearly didn't believe them, but she smiled sleepily and laid her head back on Willow's shoulder. "Fine, don't tell me. It's okay if my girlfriend has secrets from me." Buffy laughed and Willow shot her a look.

"It's not a secret, baby. It's just something Buffy is helping me with. I promise I'll tell you when we get it finished."

Tara looked up at her again. "Is it slayer stuff? Can I help?"

Willow smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you sweetheart, but it's not slayer stuff. It's like a project that I'm working on and Buffy is going to help me with it."

"Is it magic stuff?" Tara frowned, looking more alert.

Willow looked helplessly at Buffy, shaking her head. "No, not magic stuff. It's…I can't tell you what it is. It's like a surprise."

Tara sat up, turning to look at Willow with a smile. "A surprise? Like a surprise for me?"

Willow looked panicky. "Um…yes." She looked at Buffy for support, still feeling jumpy, like she was going to spill the beans at any moment.

The Slayer's mouth had dropped open and she shook her head. "Willow…I thought you were going to wait. You know, until we can…prepare better."

Tara grinned at them, enjoying teasing her girlfriend. "Willow, don't wait. I want my surprise now."

The redhead looked back and forth between them, obviously conflicted. "Buffy, help me or I'll give it away!" The Slayer took action and nudged her sister awake with her foot.

"And Dawn's awake. Hey, Dawnie. How was your nap?" Buffy shook her sister and the younger girl sat up, blinking around at them.

She rubbed her eyes. "What's going on, guys?"

Tara smirked at Willow. "Will's got a surprise for me and won't give it to me. Buffy's trying to help her hide it from me."

Dawn grinned, looking around at the girls. "What is it, Willow? Tell her. Don't wait" The redhead looked at Buffy again and the Slayer leaned over and whispered in her sister's ear. Dawn's eyes shot open and she screamed happily. "Oh my God! Willow!"

Buffy grabbed her sister's arm, clapping a hand over the younger girl's mouth. "And that's our cue to leave. Dawn, we're going now." She hustled her out the door, shooting a look at Willow over her shoulder. "Keep a lid on it, Willow. I'll talk to you in the morning, I swear." She shut the door and Tara smirked across the bed at her lover.

Willow slid away from her, looking anxious. "Tara, please, I want it to be a surprise."

The blonde smiled. "I'm just picking on you, baby. You don't have to surprise me. I don't need any presents."

Willow took a deep breath. "I know you're trying to help me, love, but you're not making this easier for me."

Tara frowned as she realized how stressed Willow really was. "Oh, sweetie, come here." She opened her arms and Willow slid back to her. Tara kissed her shortly, fingers gliding over her cheek and down the side of her neck. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to tease you like that." She smiled. "Well, I did, but I didn't want to upset you. You don't have to give me a surprise, Willow. I have everything I want."

Willow bit her lip, hugging Tara. "That doesn't help me either." She pulled back slowly.

Tara was staring at her. "What is it, Willow? What's wrong? What am I doing wrong?" She reached up and touched her lover's face again. "Baby, just forget about it okay? Whatever the surprise is, it's not worth me upsetting you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Willow sighed, dropping her head back. "Buffy's going to kill me if I tell you."

Tara smiled, shaking her head. "Then don't tell me. I don't want to know. I'll wait. I can be patient. Anything from you I know I'm going to love."

Willow groaned, smacking one hand to her forehead. "You really aren't helping me." She looked her lover in the eye and held her breath. She slowly let it out as she made up her mind. "Screw it. I'm doing it now." Tara looked surprised and glanced around her as if something was going to jump out at them. Willow slid back until she was sitting on her knees, her legs curled up underneath her. She took both of Tara's hands and squeezed them.

"Baby, Tara, I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you. You're my soul mate…."

Tara's eyes widened as she realized what had her lover so freaked out. "Oh my God…Willow? Are you serious?"

The redhead's mouth dropped open. "What? I haven't even done anything yet!"

"You're proposing?" Tara asked, stunned. Willow was still gaping at her and she backpedaled. "I mean, isn't that what this is?"

Willow nodded slowly. "It didn't happen the way I was expecting it, and I don't have a ring yet or anything, but I was watching you sleep tonight, and I just love you so much and there's no one else, there will never be anyone else for the rest of my life and…" She had to stop speaking as Tara's mouth closed over hers. They kissed feverishly until air became a serious issue and they had to break apart.

"So is that a yes?" Willow gasped, trying desperately to get air.

Tara smirked at her. "Technically, you haven't asked me anything, Willow."

Willow shook her head with a smile, breathing hard. "Fine." She sat up on her knees, taking a moment to gather her wits. "Tara Maclay, will you marry me?" She said it completely seriously and Tara couldn't stop tears from welling up in her eyes.

She reached forward and touched Willow's face, thumb brushing across her lips while her palm curled around the redhead's cheek. "Of course I will, Willow." Willow leaned forward and kissed her in a rush, pushing them back onto the bed.

She broke the kiss a few moments later, breathing hard. "Buffy is _so _going to kill me."

Tara grinned up at her. "Well, then let's not waste time." She kissed her again, pulling her lover down to her.


	9. Chapter 8

Buffy woke up the next morning to find Willow pacing in front of her twin bed. Dawn was still asleep and the Slayer pulled the witch down to sit on the edge of her bed. "Willow, honey, what's wrong? What happened?" She was looking closely at her friend, trying to make sure nothing had hurt her. "You okay?"

Willow shook her head, eyes wide with panic. "I asked her last night, Buffy. She just kept saying how she didn't need any presents from me, and she'd be fine waiting, and she knew she was going to love anything I gave her. We have to go shopping. I need a ring, now!"

Buffy grinned at her. "I guess that means she said yes. Congratulations, Willow." She leaned forward to hug her best friend. "Will, I've never seen you like this. You normally plan everything so carefully. What's with the rush on the proposal?"

Willow shrugged, grinning widely. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I already lost a year with her. I can't stand the idea of waiting for anything big anymore."

The Slayer shook her head, smiling. "We can go shopping today. You need to calm down though, or you're going to have a heart attack. I probably can guess, but did you even sleep last night?"

The witch blushed brightly, shrugging her shoulders. "Eventually. Tara's asleep now. I was too excited to stay asleep. I had to get up." She smiled happily at her best friend. "She's going to marry me, Buffy," Willow breathed, seemingly in disbelief.

Buffy shook her head again, loving seeing her friend so happy. "She loves you. She never stopped loving you, y'know?"

Willow nodded, glancing down at her hands. "I know. I never stopped loving her either. Not for one single second."

"I know you didn't, Willow. And she knows it too," Buffy said, one hand touching her friend gently on the shoulder. Willow nodded again, smiling.

They both looked over at the other bed as Dawn stirred, rolling over. She spotted Willow and immediately jumped out of bed, hugging the witch tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Willow! When are you going to ask her?"

Willow smiled happily. "I kind of did it last night. I don't even have a ring yet. We're going today to look for one." She glanced at Buffy, who just smiled widely and nodded in confirmation.

Dawn screamed and hugged her again, her sister rubbing her ears while glaring at her.

"Give me a few minutes to take a shower and get dressed and we can make up some kind of excuse to get out of here," Buffy said as she got out of bed. "In the mean time, Will, you need to go out in the living room and act normal so Tara doesn't have you committed before you can marry her."

A dreamy look came over the redhead's face and Dawn and Buffy exchanged glances. "Oh, you have it _so _bad," Buffy commented, touching her friend's shoulder as she walked into the bathroom. "Dawn, can you help her keep it together?" Her younger sister nodded, pushing the witch out of the room with her.

Tara hadn't come out of their bedroom yet so Dawn and Willow joined Xander at the breakfast table. Willow's hands were trembling as she took her seat, and Xander looked up from his coffee. "You okay, Will? You're shaking."

She looked up at him, blurting, "I proposed to Tara." Xander's eye widened and he stood up automatically. She stood up with him and he pulled her into a tight hug.

He slowly pulled back, still grinning widely. "Willow, I'm so proud of you."

Dawn giggled. "She and Buffy are going to shop for a ring today. Want to hang out with me and Tara today while they're gone?"

He nodded excitedly. "Sure thing, Dawnie. You guys can help me go over the paperwork for the castle. It came in yesterday." He looked at the girls. "We didn't see you guys yesterday at all."

"Yeah, we were having a girl day away from the slayers. We ate pizza and watched movies and Willow decided to propose." Dawn was grinning and Xander hugged his best friend again.

"How did you guys spend all day in the same room and Tara didn't notice Will scheming?" he asked as they sat back at the table.

"We fell asleep. Willow and Buffy were talking about it while we were sleeping." Dawn answered, shooting a look at the redhead.

"It wasn't anything I've been planning. I just decided I wanted to do it. We've already lost so much time. Are you guys okay with this? Do you think I'm crazy?"

Xander shook his head quickly. "No, Will. You're not crazy. You've loved Tara for years. You two are made for each other. I mean, she came back from the dead for you."

"We're happy for you, Willow," Dawn agreed, smiling excitedly.

Just then Tara came out of the bedroom and joined them at the table. She leaned over and kissed Willow quickly, everyone smiling as Willow's hand wrapped around the back of her neck, not letting Tara pull back for several long moments. "You're all up early. What's on the plan for today?" she asked as Willow finally let her go and she moved to sit down next to her, laughing as Willow pulled her into her lap, wrapping her arms around her fiancée.

Xander and Dawn grinned at them. "We're gonna go over the papers Dracula sent about the castle. Want to help us? We have blueprints and maps and property records to look through. It's going to be a wild time," Xander offered, rolling his eyes.

Tara shrugged. "Sure, I'd be happy to help." Willow grinned at her friends from behind Tara's back, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.

Buffy joined them at the table. "Hey guys, what's going on today?"

Xander grinned widely at her. "We're going over the papers for the castle that Dracula sent over. What are you doing today?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows goofily at her.

Buffy rolled her eyes at his obvious excitement. "Well, actually, I need Willow's help with some stuff this morning. We should be done by the early afternoon so we'll catch up with you guys."

"Sounds like a plan, Buff," Xander agreed, still grinning.

Dawn looked at him and rolled her eyes, standing up. "Well, we should probably get to work on that paperwork, Xander." She pulled him to his feet and started pushing him out the door. "Tara, we'll be down in the office whenever you can join us."

Buffy leaned her forehead on her hand, sighing. Tara turned in Willow's lap so she could see her girlfriend's face and smiled. "So what are you guys really doing today? And why is my new fiancée ditching me on the first day we're engaged?" she teased gently.

Willow grinned up at her, reaching up for a kiss. "Fiancée might just be my new favorite word," she decided as Buffy laughed.

"We're going ring shopping since _someone_ couldn't wait to propose until she actually had one," Buffy said, shooting a look at the redheaded witch.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault. She dragged it out of me!" Willow tried to defend herself.

Tara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Excuse me? I believe my exact words were, 'Don't tell me, I don't want to know.'"

Buffy grinned at the pair. "What matters is that Willow spilled the beans and now we're going to go get you a big rock to show off to everybody."

Tara shook her head, smiling down at her lover. "You really don't have to get me a ring. We could just do wedding bands. I don't need an engagement ring."

Willow pouted, squeezing her side where her hands were holding onto her. "I want you to have one. You're my girl and I want everybody to know it."

Tara leaned down and kissed her. "Everybody who matters already does know it. I don't need a ring, Will."

"But I want to get you one. Please, Tara?"

Finally the blonde sighed and nodded with a smile. "As long as I can get you one too." Willow nodded eagerly, kissing her again. Tara spoke again as she pulled back. "Can I have one request though?"

Willow nodded, smiling widely. "Anything, love."

"Could we have colored stones on the rings?"

Willow looked confused. "Of course. What kind of stone did you want?"

Tara touched her face gently, leaning in close. "I've always loved emeralds." She kissed Willow gently right between her eyes, pulling back slowly.

"Done. So can I have a sapphire in mine?"

The blonde blinked slowly and smiled. "Of course, sweetie." She looked up at Buffy, who was politely examining the edge of the breakfast table, though not able to hide her smile. "Thanks for the help, Buffy." The Slayer looked up at her with a wink.

"No trouble at all." She grinned. "Willow already promised I could be Maid of Honor."

Tara grinned down at the redhead, leaning forward to kiss the side of her head. "Thanks, Buffy. There's no one else that we'd rather have as Maid of Honor."

Buffy grinned proudly. "I'm excited and I'm really proud of you guys. When do you think the wedding will be?"

Willow looked up at her lover. "I'm ready whenever you are, hon. I just want to marry you, I don't care when or where."

Tara smiled gently, leaning down to kiss her. "Me too, sweetie." She glanced over at Buffy. "I'm sure everyone else wants to have a party with us, though. We should at least try to plan something. Summer is coming up, maybe we can have something planned by July. It's only a few months, but we don't need anything really big."

"That's a good idea, Tara. I wonder what the summers are like in Scotland. If we end up there, I mean." Buffy commented.

Willow frowned. "I forgot we were moving. Shoot."

Tara smiled crookedly down at her. "It'll be fine, Willow. We can just wait to plan the wedding once we get settled in somewhere." Willow pouted and nodded slowly. Tara blinked, a dazed look coming over her face and Willow's pout turned to a look of confusion. "Oh my God. We're getting married!" Tara said in seeming shock.

Willow exchanged glances with Buffy, neither sure what had prompted the sudden statemetn. "Um yeah. That's what I asked you last night. It means we're getting married. You already said yes, no way out of it now. You're stuck with me." The blonde witch shook her head, smiling widely.

"We're getting married. You're going to marry me. You actually want to marry me?" Tara seemed to have come down with Willow's tendency to babble, her voice stunned and confused. Willow frowned and used her lover's technique for stopping her and put her fingers over the blonde's lips gently.

"Whoa, what? Baby, of course I want to marry you. If I hadn't screwed it up for myself, I would have asked you years ago. There's nothing else I want in the world than to be with you for the rest of our lives." Tara's face had turned serious behind her lover's hand and Willow pulled her fingers back.

"Sweetheart, we've talked about this. The past is completely behind us. I wish you wouldn't feel like you need to punish yourself for it."

Willow shot a look at her. "And I wish you wouldn't think that I wouldn't want to marry you. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, Tara. Anyone who can't see that is an idiot that doesn't warrant your attention. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have your love. I'll never forget that again."

Tara shot a look right back at her. "Willow, stop it. I hate it when you say things like that. I love it that you work so hard not to take me for granted, but how many times do I have to say that I forgive you before you forgive yourself?"

The two girls stared at each other for a tense moment, Buffy staring firmly at the refrigerator on the other side of the room.

"I don't doubt how you feel about me, Willow. I know you'll never do anything to deliberately hurt me again," Tara said as she leaned her forehead against her lover's.

Willow pulled back, shaking her head. "That's not what it sounds like when you question whether I want to marry you. I love you, Tara. I love you more than anything else in this world. More than that though, you need to realize how much everyone else loves you too. You…when you died, it killed me, but it tore the others apart too, baby. Buffy brought you back to life, not just for me, but for Dawnie, and for Giles, and Xander, and for herself. They all love you. _We _all love you."

Buffy glanced up at them slowly, speaking for the first time, "We do, Tara. We love you. Both of you. You guys obviously have some things to talk about, so I think I'll go look over that paperwork with Xander." She stood up, looking uncomfortable. "I'll see you two later."

There was a long silence and Tara slowly moved herself out of Willow's lap and onto a chair. "We've never been good at fighting with each other, have we, love?" Her voice was thick and she kept glancing at the floor.

"It all just comes out wrong. Tara, I love you. You deserve so much love, sweetheart. Your dad's stupid if he couldn't see what a wonderful, caring, generous person you are. But I see it honey, and I'm so grateful. I love you so much. That's what I was trying to say. It bums me out when I hear you questioning that I would want to marry you. I would marry you in a heartbeat. I would marry you this second." Tara glanced down at her tank top and pajama pants and smiled back at Willow.

The redhead slowly reached a hand over to her lover and waited. Tara took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know how much you love me. It just amazes me sometimes that I could have ended up with someone as…everything that you are. And I would never doubt that you love me. It's just…I was dead for a year, and you were with someone else, and then I just showed up and now we're getting married. It's all so sudden."

Willow sighed, squeezing the hand she was holding. "I know it's fast, but Tara, I'd have married you a long time ago if I'd had the chance. But I've got my chance, my life, back now, and I have to take it. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked quietly, eyes searching her beloved's face for any trace of doubt.

Tara blinked back tears, nodding as her free hand lifted to touch Willow's face. "I get what you're saying. And I love you more than I ever thought it could be possible to love anyone. I absolutely cannot wait to marry you, Willow." She paused, her thumb tracing over her lover's face. "But you don't have to beat yourself up over what happened between us."

Willow sighed, pressing her head into Tara's touch. "We haven't even talked about it though, Tara. I mean, I erased your memory and you left me."

"And you got better. You were addicted, but you stopped it. Maybe I did the wrong thing, maybe I should have stayed, but I didn't know what to do. I had to do what I thought was best, for you and for me."

Willow nodded, swallowing. "I was wrong, Tara. I was so wrong. I'll never do anything to hurt you again, I swear." Tara opened her mouth to speak, but Willow shook her head. "Tara, let me finish." The blonde smiled gently, nodding. "I can't imagine how much I hurt you, but I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Tara shook her head. "Willow, we talked about this the night I came back, remember?"

The redhead frowned thoughtfully. "I remember the night you came back sweetness, and there wasn't much conversation." She smirked as Tara laughed.

"Which night are you thinking about?" Tara asked with a teasing smile, her fingers still touching Willow's face gently.

She grinned widely. "Well, both of them were a little light on conversation, lover."

Tara blushed, smiling back at her. "Well, you're right about that. I was talking about after all of that, though. We did talk, remember?"

Willow's grin transformed into a tender smile. "Of course I do."

Tara smiled. "Well, me dying the next day didn't make anything I said untrue. I forgive you Willow, and I love you. I don't want you to ever doubt that I trust you. I know you'll never do anything to hurt me again." She leaned forward in her chair and smiled, squeezing Willow's hand in hers.

"So, we understand each other?" Willow asked after a pause, staring into her lover's eyes. "I'm madly in love with you and will be for the rest of my life."

Tara nodded, blushing. "And you're forgiven and should try and forgive yourself, for my sake if nothing else."

Willow nodded back, pulling Tara up and hugging her. "I'll try baby, you might just have to keep reminding me."

The blonde smiled, running a hand through her lover's hair. "I can do that, sweetie. I just don't want you to ever doubt that we all have faith in you."

They kissed gently and Willow wrapped her arms around her lover's waist, squeezing her tight. They pulled back slowly, neither one wanting to let go. "We should probably talk to Buffy. I think we freaked her out," Tara said slowly. Willow nodded and they headed downstairs, holding hands.

Xander looked up in surprise when Buffy came into the office. "I thought you and Willow were going out this morning? What's up?"

Buffy looked distractedly around the office. "Oh, yeah, um Willow and Tara were talking and it got a little…tense so I came down here to give them some privacy."

He frowned. "They had a fight?" he asked in surprise. "They don't fight!"

Dawn put down the folder she was reading. "Buffy, they were fighting? They just got engaged last night!"

The Slayer shook her head. "Not fighting exactly, just discussing personal things."

"What kind of personal things?" Xander asked, confused. "They're still getting married, right?"

"Of course they are, Xander! They were just…clarifying some issues."

"What kind of issues?" he persisted, glancing at Dawn, who was fighting tears. The youngest Scooby would be heartbroken if the two witches broke up again after Tara coming back to them.

Buffy shook her head. "It's none of our business. It's stuff between them." She looked seriously at her sister. "Dawnie, they just have some stuff to work through. It's normal. You know how much they love each other. They'll work this out and everything will be fine." Dawn nodded slowly, looking away from her sister as the two witches came into the office.

"Hey everybody." Willow could see the slightly panicked look in their friends' eyes and squeezed Tara's hand. "Everything's fine, guys. We promise."

Dawn stood up from the table, rushing across the room to hug both of them. "You promise?" she pressed them for reassurance.

Tara smiled and kissed the girl on her forehead. "Yes, sweetie. Everything is okay. I promise you. I'm not going anywhere."

Willow nodded. "We just had some things we needed to talk about. That's all. We're still getting married. Nothing is going to change that." She glanced at Buffy and Xander, smiling. They smiled back at her as Dawn stepped back.

"Well if everyone is happy again, we have some work to do," Buffy said, pulling Willow out of the office with her as she smiled at Tara. She laughed as the redhead kept hold of her lover's hand as long as she could.

They borrowed Angel's car again and Buffy looked over at her friend as they started driving. "I'm sorry about this morning. You're okay, though? You would tell me, right?"

Willow nodded. "I would tell you, Buffy. Everything's fine. We just needed to make each other understand some things." She glanced at the Slayer. "You have faith in me, right? You know I'd never do it again." She didn't need to clarify what she meant.

Buffy glanced sharply at her. "Willow! Of course I know that. You're doing great with the magic. We all know that you've got it under control. We trust you." She frowned. "Did this come from the…discussion this morning?"

The witch nodded. "Tara says that I need to forgive myself for what happened last time with the magic. But Buffy, I don't know how to do that. I regret it, and I've worked so hard to make sure that it will never happen again, but I can't just forget that it happened. I almost killed everyone!"

Buffy smiled sadly. "I remember, Will. I don't know what to tell you. It's not something you can forget, but I can see her point about forgiveness. You lost her once because you let the magic control what you wanted. You were addicted, but you're better now. You shouldn't have to feel like crap every time you think about it. It happened, yeah, but you're stronger now. It won't happen again. You have to let yourself believe that. You have to trust yourself. Trust Tara. Trust us. We're with you in this. We'll help you however we can."

She looked over at her best friend. "No one expects you to heal overnight, Will. Just take it slow and tell us whenever you need help, and we'll get through it together." The witch nodded again and Buffy smiled at her. "Tara just doesn't want you to feel bad about yourself all the time. The person that hurt her wasn't the real you and she knows that."

"But Buffy," Willow interrupted. "What if it was the real me? What if that's the best that I can do? What if the best of me is a magic addict that uses memory spells to control her soul mate, and can't do the simplest things without using a spell?"

The Slayer shook her head firmly. "Willow, I know that's not true. I heard you at night after Tara left. You really struggled with the withdrawal, but you did it. You did it for her. And it made you stronger. You did it all on your own."

"And then she died and I threw everything away," Willow reminded her bitterly.

"I know, but you stopped. Xander got through to you."

Willow's voice was quiet. "Buffy, what if I lose her again?"

The Slayer pulled the car over quickly, tires squealing and horns honking behind them, turning in her seat to look at her best friend. "Willow, you can't live like this. You can't be worried all the time that someone might die. We live an especially dangerous life. Tara knows that and she's still here with us, with you. I can't say something won't happen, but Willow, I promise that we will be careful and we'll take every precaution we can. She wouldn't want you to be worried about this, Will."

The witch nodded miserably. "I know, Buffy. There's just so much more to lose if I lose control again. I could destroy the world."

The Slayer reached over and touched her arm. "But you won't, Willow. I know you won't do it. Nothing is going to happen to Tara, Will."

"You can't promise me that."

"I know, but what else can we do but be careful? We'll be careful and we'll all be okay. I'll die again to make sure that happens."

Willow nodded, taking a deep breath. "I know you would, Buffy. I just need to calm down, right? Nothing is going to happen. I'll practice and get stronger, more controlled, and everything will be fine."

Buffy nodded also, smiling. "Of course it will. We'll take care of each other." The witch smiled back at her slowly and she squeezed her hand. "Now, let's stop all the gloomy talk, and go buy your future wife an engagement ring."

Willow cheered immediately at that. "Wife! Buffy she's going to be my wife."

The Slayer laughed as she pulled the car back out into traffic, heading towards the nearest jewelry store. They didn't find a ring that Willow loved until the third store. It was fairly simple, a white gold band with two smaller emeralds on either side of the diamond in the center. The witch was jumping up and down as they left the store. Buffy grinned at her friend's excitement. "I can't believe you couldn't wait one day to propose."

Willow couldn't stop grinning long enough to roll her eyes. "So I did it a little backwards. She still said yes, and I've got the ring now."

"So back to the hotel, so you can give it to her and run off to have sex?" Buffy asked rhetorically as they climbed into the car.

Willow blushed brightly, but nodded with a silly grin. "Yes, please."

"Are you going to tell the slayers? I know Xander and Dawnie already know, but Giles doesn't know yet and…" She hesitated. "What about Kennedy?"

Willow calmed down at that. "You're right. I don't want to hurt her by making a big production. For now, let's keep it under wraps."

Buffy frowned. "So are you going to ask Tara not to wear the ring?"

Willow shook her head. "I don't want to. It's not like she'll see Kennedy all that much. I can't imagine they're going to be great friends."

Buffy smiled. "We just need to make sure we get to Xander before he starts running his mouth. We can tell the rest of the slayers once we get settled in somewhere and you guys actually start planning the wedding."

Willow kept opening the box to stare at the ring she'd chosen and grin goofily. Buffy rolled her eyes as they finally pulled back into the hotel. They put Angel's car in the shade where he could get to it if he needed it and came into the lobby.

Willow hugged Buffy before they went into the office. "Thanks so much, Buffy. I'm glad you came with me. Thank you."

Her best friend grinned at her. "Of course, Will. I'm so happy for you."

They came into the office and found the rest of the Scoobies packing up the papers from Dracula. Dawn jumped up as soon as they came into the room, grinning. Tara had her back to the door, putting books away on the shelf. Willow crossed the room in a second, wrapping her arms around her lover, one hand holding the ring box tightly.

Tara leaned back against her immediately, turning her head to look at Willow over her shoulder. "Do I get my surprise now?" she asked, smiling crookedly.

Willow nodded happily and released her hold of Tara's waist so they could face each other. The blonde smiled wider at the happy energy Willow was radiating, bouncing lightly on her toes. There was no build up at all, Willow just held out her hand with the box sitting on her palm.

"It's yours if you want it, Tara," she said simply, trying to calm down.

Tara's smile turned gentle. "Just like you?" she murmured the question, already knowing the answer.

Willow smiled and stepped closer to kiss her. "Exactly like me."

Tara kissed her back before Willow opened the box slowly, her eyes locked on her lover's face. Tears welled up in Tara's eyes and Willow pulled the ring out of the box.

"You like it, right? Those are happy tears?" Tara nodded and Willow slipped it onto her left ring finger.

Tara lifted her hand to look at the ring and Willow took a shuddering breath. Tara's gaze shifted to her and she slid her hand into her lover's hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Buffy exchanged grins with Xander and Dawn. The younger girl had both hands over her mouth to keep from squealing.

The lovers broke away from each other as they heard Giles' exclamation of "Dear Lord." Willow was grinning sheepishly as they turned to look at the Watcher.

"Hey, Giles. These two kind of had something they wanted to tell you," Buffy said, seating herself at the table with her sister and Xander.

Giles slowly looked around the room at the group and glanced around for a chair. "Am I going to need to sit down?"

Tara shook her head with a giggle. "I hope not. This is good news."

Willow couldn't restrain herself and blurted it out quickly. "Tara and I are engaged!"

Giles stared at them for a moment before he realized what he was doing and stepped forward to hug both of them "Congratulations, you two. I'm so happy for you both." He stepped back and smiled at them. "When will the wedding be?"

"Not until after we get settled." Tara said, glancing at Willow.

The redhead spoke up, "Actually, I wanted to ask you guys not to say anything to the slayers for awhile. I just don't want to…"

"Hurt Kennedy. Of course, baby," Tara finished, realizing her lover's intentions. "Do you want me not to wear the ring?" She lifted her hands to take the ring off.

Willow's hands stopped her. "No! No, I want you to wear it. We'll just be careful where we talk about it. I don't want to hide it, but I don't want to be cruel either."

"I'm sure it's hard enough for her to see you two together now. If she found out you were engaged…yeah, it might be a good idea to keep the engagement a secret for now." Dawn agreed.

"Yeah, we can do that. It won't leave this room," Xander promised. "Or the room upstairs," he added thoughtfully.

Willow smiled. "Thanks, Xander. How does the castle look?"

"Oh, it looks great," Dawn chimed in. "Should be awesome."

"Well, if everything goes according to plan, I should be able to contact that demon by Friday, so we can leave for Scotland this weekend." Willow glanced at Tara, who just smiled reassuringly.

Xander nodded. "If you're sure." He spoke to Willow, but his eye was locked on Tara. The blonde witch nodded firmly, smiling at him as well.

"I'm sure, Xander. I'll let you know by Thursday for sure."

He nodded. "Thank you Will." He glanced around the room. "We should get some lunch now. What else do we have going on today?"

Buffy grimaced. "I should go help Faith with the training."

"And I want to study the ritual to contact the demon. Just so I know what I'm getting myself into," Willow added. Tara took her hand as they crossed the lobby and a smile came to her face as she felt the metal of the ring against her skin.

Dawn laughed at the goofy look that crossed the witch's face. "Well, I don't think you'll be able to concentrate long enough to study. You two will be locked in your bedroom before you can even put your hands on the books."

Willow grimaced, glancing guiltily at Tara. "I wish," she murmured quietly. Tara figured out Willow's regret quickly and leaned over to press a kiss to her fiancée's cheek, smiling reassuringly.

Dawn frowned. "What does that mean?"

Tara made a face. "Remember the timing for the ritual?"

Dawn's face cleared. "Oh…sorry, Will. That sucks."

Willow sighed. "Well that's what happens when you propose with no plan at all. Nature decides to ruin your celebration plans," she commented, smiling at Tara. The blonde smiled crookedly back at her, squeezing their joined hands.

Willow didn't sleep well the last two nights before the ritual, a combination of anxiety and female issues. She tried not to wake Tara, but somehow the blonde always knew and would wake up to sit with her, rubbing her tummy, and playing with her hair until she could fall back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 9

Finally, Friday arrived and Willow was free to use the ritual. Giles and Tara helped her set up the supplies in their bedroom, removing the spell they'd been using to keep the demon out of Willow's sleep. They finished and Giles left the two witches alone, Buffy and the others waiting for him in the living room.

"All done?" the Slayer asked. Xander and Dawn had been sitting on the couch, but rose to their feet as the Watcher came in. Giles nodded, looking serious. "So she can start the ritual now?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the door as he answered, "She can begin once Tara comes out. She has to be alone during the ritual itself."

Inside the room, Willow was hugging Tara tightly. "I'll make this as quick as possible."

Tara nodded over her lover's shoulder. "I'll be waiting," she promised, lingering in Willow's arms.

Willow pulled back to kiss her, the blonde responding immediately. They slowly pulled back and Willow smiled bravely. "I love you."

Tara smiled and returned it. "I love you too. I'll be right outside."

The redhead nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She looked at her lover closely. "Tara, I don't want you just pacing around outside the whole time I'm in here. Just try and relax, okay? How about we have lunch when I get done? Or dinner, whichever one is closer."

Tara smiled and nodded. "I'll try, sweetie. Buffy might have to hold me down to keep me from pacing, but I'll try."

Willow kissed her again briefly. "Thanks, baby." Tara stepped back reluctantly, squeezing her hand as she walked out the door, staring over her shoulder as she shut it behind her.

Buffy glanced at her, crossing the room to pull the witch to sit on the sofa. "You can't just stand outside the door. We don't know how long this will take. We need to keep you distracted." Tara nodded absently. "We're all worried, Tara. We'll stay in this room until she comes out, but we need to stay busy."

"We still have some of those board games up here," Xander suggested halfheartedly.

Dawn nodded. "Let's try it." They started setting up a game on the table, Buffy dragging Tara by the hand with her to the kitchen.

Inside the room, Willow took a deep breath as she seated herself inside a circle of candles. She started the incantation, closing her eyes with her hands resting lightly on her knees. It felt like her entire body was getting squeezed, but then it suddenly relaxed and she could feel her surroundings shift as she reached her destination.

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a smiling, naked, green snake woman who was much too close for comfort. "Hello, dear Willow. You may call me Saga."

Willow glanced around cautiously, taking several quick steps back. "Hello. It's nice to meet you, I guess. What exactly did you want with me?"

The demon laughed delightedly. "Dear Willow, you know what I want. I want to train you. You are very powerful, but you have only touched the edges of your potential. There is so much more that I can teach you. In my hands you could become a goddess among mortals."

Willow frowned, shaking her head. "I don't want to be a goddess. I've tasted power like that before. I didn't like it."

"You know that's not true. You did like it. I can feel it right now. You crave it. I can give it back to you. I can make it better than it ever was. You can't possibly imagine what you could become under me." The demon moved closer, her tail curling towards the witch. There was a lecherous smile on her face and she was blatantly running her eyes up and down Willow's body.

Willow closed her eyes briefly, swallowing tensely. "I almost destroyed everything I love using that power. I'll never do it again." She looked the demon in the eyes. "You have nothing I want."

Saga Vasuki eyed her. "Are you sure about that? Are you willing to risk the lives of everyone you love on your self control? Last time you lost control you almost destroyed the entire world, you tried to kill your best friends. Can you make sure you won't be tempted again?"

Willow took a deep breath, thinking of the people she loved. She nodded firmly. "I can. I won't hurt them again."

The demon nodded, smiling. "As you wish, but can you defend them from what's coming without my training?"

"We've done well for ourselves so far."

She laughed joyfully. "You haven't faced anything like what's coming, my dear." She slithered closer as she spoke.

"So, what's coming?" Willow asked, stepping back from her with a frown.

The demon shook her head. "You've been fighting in the daylight, child. Night is coming. You can't face it without me."

Willow swallowed. "I think we can. I appreciate the offer, and the warning, but I can't train with you. We can do this on our own."

Saga Vasuki shook her head. "You have no idea what will happen in the future. My offer will not be extended again. You may never contact me again." She paused, looking Willow over again with a speculative expression on her face. "At least, not without using my…preferred method."

Willow nodded, frowning and crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "I understand."

"As you wish. We could have been so good together." She ran her eyes blatantly over Willow's body again, licking her lips and Willow felt a shudder slide down her spine. "You could have been a goddess at my side. Now you must face your fate."

There was a bright flash and Willow could feel herself fall backwards onto the floor. Her head cracked sharply against the wood and she sat up quickly with a loud yelp, a hand coming up to the back of her skull. A glance at the clock told her she had been talking with the demon for three hours even though it felt to her like a much shorter visit. She quickly blew out the candles, rushing to open the door, anxious to see and reassure Tara.

Tara had deliberately sat in a seat facing the bedroom door and was out of her chair the second she heard the cry from behind the door. By the time Willow had opened the door, Tara was halfway across the room. Willow was gingerly poking at the back of her head as she walked across the room and Tara met her, gently taking the redhead's hand down so she could inspect the back of her lover's head herself.

"Are you okay? What happened to your head?" Tara asked as she checked to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

Willow shook her head, but grimaced as it made the pain worse. "I just cracked it on the floor when I came out of the ritual." She reached back and took Tara's hand out of her hair. "It's just a headache, baby. Some painkillers and I'll be good as new."

"Well, there might be a knot there in a while, but it's not bleeding," the blonde said in relief, holding onto Willow's hand as Buffy waved them over to the table. Xander stood up to get some pills for Willow and gave his chair over to her, handing her the medicine and leaning himself against the counter.

Willow swallowed the pills dry and glanced around the room at her friends. "It went pretty well, I think."

"She didn't touch you or anything, did she?" Xander asked, looking closely at her. Tara shot a look at him and Dawn couldn't resist giggling.

Willow shook her head. "No, Xander. She made me feel the severe need for a shower using only her eyes, but she didn't come any closer than you are right now."

"What did she say?" Giles asked, not eager to stay on the same topic.

"Oh, I told her that I wasn't interested in training with her and she said that she wouldn't extend the deal again so that would be the last time I could contact her using that ritual." She looked over at where Buffy and Giles were sitting. "She said I couldn't fight what is coming without her help."

The two exchanged looks. "Did she give you any clues about what's coming?" Buffy asked, leaning forward.

"The only thing she said was that we've been 'fighting in the daylight and night is coming.' Those were her exact words. She said that we've never faced anything like what's coming." She made a face. "Sorry it's not much to go on."

Giles shook his head absently, already trying to decipher the meaning of the statement. "It's more than we had before you spoke to her. And we've started with less before. Thank you, Willow."

Tara was still eyeing her anxiously and Willow squeezed her hand gently. "Well, now that this is taken care of, Xander and I can get to work on our next project of finding us a place to live."

Xander smiled and nodded. "I called the airport yesterday. We've got tickets on Sunday for Scotland." He glanced at Tara. "If you're sure." The witches exchanged a look and nodded.

"Sounds great. I'm excited. It's been too long since we've had a sleepover, Xander." Willow smiled at him. "Well, one we weren't sharing with thirty slayers," she clarified.

He grinned, complaining, "They were always hogging the chips."

"They were always hogging everything," Dawn corrected him.

Buffy groaned. "Let's cool it with the slayer bashing. I have to go train with them now. I promised Faith I'd come help as soon as we made sure Will's meeting went well."

Willow smiled over at the Slayer. "Thanks, Buffy. I appreciate you looking out for me."

She nodded and sighed as she headed out the door. "I'll see you all after patrol, I guess."

The redhead turned to look at the rest of them. "Well, I was promised a meal after my ritual. Have you guys eaten?"

Xander glanced at Tara. "No, we've all been kind of waiting on you. We were all a little too keyed up to eat." He didn't mention that they'd all been pacing the floor off and on for the last three hours.

Willow glanced at the board game, all of the pieces still in the starting positions. "I see that," she commented, smirking at them.

Tara shrugged, unrepentant. "Hey! My fiancée is in some other dimension talking to some snake demon that wants to get physical with her, I have cause to pace a little." Willow shot her a look, but she didn't flinch, just squeezed Willow's hand in hers. "I just said I would try not to, not that I would be successful."

Xander laughed. "You can't fault her for being worried about you, Will. We all were. Now what about this meal that was mentioned? Do you want to go out, or eat here?"

"Or do you two want to be alone?" Dawn asked pointedly, shooting a look at Xander.

Tara smiled at her. "Thank you Dawnie, but we'd love to eat with you, if you wouldn't mind." Willow nodded, but stopped quickly, a hand coming up to her head. Tara's attention returned to her immediately. "Does your head still hurt, sweetheart? We don't have to go anywhere if you're not feeling good."

Willow opened her eyes, smiling gently. "Maybe we can eat here, and I'll go lay down until dinner's ready?"

Xander nodded. "That's a good idea, Will. You girls go get her situated and I'll take care of dinner." Willow looked up at him in surprise. He quickly defended himself. "I _can_ cook, Willow. Besides, it's getting a bit feminist around here. I need to remind everyone that men can do things too."

Dawn smirked. "But Xander, there's no dryer in here. What are you going to make?"

He frowned. "You'll just have to wait and see because I don't know yet. Now, go lay down. I've got dinner under control."

Giles stood up. "As much as I would enjoy trying whatever concoction you come up with Xander, I believe I'll return to the office and begin researching the clue the demon gave Willow. Have a good evening, everyone. I'm glad you're alright, Willow."

Xander shrugged as the older man left. "More for us. Now, shoo Will," he ordered, waving them out of the kitchen.

"Thanks, Xander," Willow said as she stood up, Tara standing with her.

The redhead smiled at her lover's protectiveness, letting the blonde help her across to the couch. She stretched out on the sofa, lifting her head and pulling Tara down by the hand to sit next her, squirming up so her head was in the blonde's lap.

"That's not going to hurt your head?" She was anxious not to put any pressure on the knot she knew had to be on the back of her fiancée's skull.

Willow smiled up at her. "Nope, feeling better already." She pulled one of Tara's hands down into her hair, smile turning pleading.

Tara sighed. "Fine, but one wince and I'm stopping." Her fingers slowly started moving through red hair and Willow sighed happily, her eyes closing.

Dawn grinned over at them as she changed the channels on the television. "You really can't deny her anything, can you?"

Tara smiled back at her. "I really can't, Dawnie." Willow just smiled and kissed Tara's free hand, holding it gently.

The three girls were pleasantly surprised by the smells that were soon coming from the kitchen and all were relived when Xander finally called over that the meal was ready. Willow rolled slowly to her feet from the couch and they joined him at the table.

"This looks great, Xand. You're definitely cooking on our trip." He grinned at his best friend. She grinned right back cheerfully. "Everybody knows I burn water."

They all dug in enthusiastically, praising Xander's abilities. All too soon they finished eating, deciding to join Giles in his research. They didn't have any luck deciphering the single clue they had. Buffy returned from patrol around midnight and the Scoobies retreated back up to their suite.

"We're going to have to do laundry tomorrow so you can pack for your trip," Tara commented as she frowned at the piles of clothes on the floor of their closet.

Willow slipped her arms around her lover from behind, leaning her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "You and me in a laundry mat could be fun. Nothing to do while we wait for the clothes to finish." Her voice was playful and Tara smiled.

"I'm sure we wouldn't be alone, sweetie." She looked over her shoulder at the grinning redhead. "We can check in the morning with the others, I'm sure they need to do some laundry too."

Willow smirked. "We wouldn't want to corrupt Dawnie, would we?"

Tara grinned crookedly, shaking her head. "Buffy probably wouldn't appreciate that." She paused. "But Dawnie's not here now is she?"

Willow stepped closer, pressing them against the wall, letting Tara turn to face her. "I love the way you think, baby." She kissed the other witch passionately, driving all thoughts of laundry out of her head.

* * *

The witches were the last to join the group in the morning, both grinning sleepily. Dawn giggled helplessly as she pushed bowls across the table to them. "You two sleep good? Catch up on your celebrations?"

Tara shot her a look as they poured themselves cereal. "So, Willow and I were talking and we think that maybe we should find a laundry mat and clean some clothes," she said, ignoring Dawn's questions.

"That's a good idea, guys. I know I'm running out of clothes. I'd love to help, but I've got slayer duty all day," Buffy said, poking at her cereal with a spoon.

Dawn shrugged. "I'll go and I can take your clothes." She grinned at her sister. "I'll need some money, though."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course you will. There should be a ten in one of my pants pockets, maybe the dark jeans? You should be able to find it."

Xander spoke around a mouthful, "I'll help too. I'm a laundry pro. Giles, you got anything you need washed?"

The older man spluttered. "I'm quite capable of doing my own wash." He paused. "However, I have quite a lot of research to do. I'll have to attend to the laundry later. Perhaps I can take some of the slayers after training. I'm sure Faith is running out of clean clothes as well."

"That's a great idea, Giles." Buffy perked up immediately. "We can stop training early. It wouldn't be a problem. The girls are actually doing really well."

The Watcher nodded, knowing exactly what his Slayer was up to. "I'm sure you and Faith are doing a wonderful job, Buffy. I can come to your training sessions next week and we can make sure they are prepared to start training the new girls."

Buffy grinned proudly. "I'll be sure to tell Faith. She's been looking for an excuse to push them harder." She finished the last bite of her breakfast, heading out the door, Giles following her. "Thanks for the help with the laundry, Dawn."

The witches finished their breakfast and the four Scoobies gathered their dirty clothes, using spare pillow cases to carry it all. Xander got an address out of the phone book and they loaded their bags into the trunk of Angel's car. After a short drive, they pulled into the laundry mat and piled the bags in front of several machines.

They appropriated three washers, Dawn putting hers and Buffy's clothes into one machine, separating the colors and whites as she dropped them into the machine. Willow and Tara did the same into the next machine. Xander started to just upend his entire bag into the washer, but stopped as Tara shot him a look.

"They're my clothes," he said defensively, pulling the bag back and starting to separate them.

Willow rolled her eyes. "They're all brand new, Xander. Just humor her."

He grinned at the redhead. "You're just whipped, Will."

The witch's mouth dropped open to protest, but stopped, shrugging. "If I am whipped, I'm happy to be." Tara and Dawn laughed at them, Tara stopping her sorting to hug Willow affectionately. They started the washers and the four sat down in some chairs along the wall to wait.

"How about some two handed thumb war?" Tara challenged, lifting both hands. Willow and Dawn grinned at each other and took one of the blonde's hands. Xander laughed as the witch adeptly twitched her thumbs around, blocking both of the other girls' attempts to pin her.

After a moment, she managed to pin Dawn's thumb and turned her full attention to pinning Willow. After another moment she'd done it and threw both hands into the air triumphantly. They played again, Xander challenging Dawn. Willow played Xander next and Dawn battled Tara again. While Xander was warring with Tara, Willow leaned over and whispered to Dawn.

The girls grinned at each other, obviously up to something. "Rematch?" Willow asked, smirking at her lover. She held out her hand playfully. The blonde took it, extending her other one to Dawn. They started their battle, Tara quickly getting the advantage. Willow took a moment of distraction and used her free hand to pull the blonde into a kiss.

Tara immediately let go of the redhead's other hand to slide her hand into her lover's hair, pulling her closer. Dawn quickly used her opponent's distraction to pin her finger. "Oh yeah! I won." She slapped hands with Willow, the redhead still kissing Tara.

Xander and Dawn exchanged glances, shrugging. "Wanna play?" She extended her hand. "I think they're a little distracted." They began thumb wrestling, Xander's larger hand giving him the advantage. The buzzer on the washing machines distracted him enough for Dawn to pin him.

The witches pulled reluctantly out of their kiss, separating. Tara pulled the clothes out of the washer, dumping them into a dryer while Willow piled the next load into the vacant washing machine. Dawn and Xander turned their laundry over as well, rejoining the witches in their chairs.

"If you guys can keep your hands to yourselves, maybe we could do something as a group?" Xander asked, smirking at the two women.

Tara pointed at Willow. "She started it. I was playing fair and she cheated."

"Yeah, I think I missed hearing your complaint about that," Dawn commented, giggling.

The blonde blushed. "Well, any excuse Willow wants to use to kiss me, I'm all for it."

Xander bumped Willow with an elbow, grinning. "Apparently you haven't lost any of your talent, even if your targets are different now." The redhead blushed crimson, her mouth dropping open in shock.

Tara lifted an eyebrow, looking at Xander curiously. "You two? No one ever told me about this."

Xander realized his oversight immediately. "Um…well…it was a _very_ long time ago."

"Before Oz?" Tara asked curiously, looking at the two of them.

Xander glanced apologetically at Willow. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Kind of…in the middle of…It was a mistake, and he forgave us. It only happened a few times, and he and Cordelia caught us."

Dawn grimaced. "That's why you and Cordelia broke up, isn't it? I remember when she stopped coming around, but Buffy never told me why."

Xander nodded. "Yeah, I screwed it up in a major way. She wouldn't talk to me for a long time after that, not that I blame her."

Tara frowned thoughtfully. "So you cheated on Oz before he cheated on you. But you were with Oz in college. You got back together?"

Willow nodded. "Yeah, he took me back. I begged and pleaded and cried and he took me back." She looked Tara straight in the face. "And you know the rest." She reached over and took her lover's hand, squeezing it.

Xander coughed. "I can't believe no one ever told you that highly awkward story about me kissing Willow before." He glanced at Tara. "I can't believe I opened the door for you hearing that really, really inappropriate story about me kissing your fiancée. How has that never come up before?"

Tara smiled gently. "What matters is that she's my fiancée now. That's the only part that's important to me."

Xander smiled back at her. "Me too. You make Will happier than I've ever seen her in our whole lives. And I've been there for the whole thing so I would know."

Willow smiled cautiously, touching Tara's hand gently to get her attention back. "So you're not freaked that I cheated on Oz?"

Tara shook her head. "I'm a little surprised, but I know you would never cheat on me." She said it simply and calmly, meeting her lover's eyes steadily.

"You're right about that." Willow nodded, smiling fully.

Tara smirked. "So I have nothing to worry about sending you two to Scotland together unsupervised?" she asked teasingly, glancing between the two old friends.

Xander gaped at her, speechless. Willow reached over and pushed his jaw up with one hand. "She's kidding with us, Xander." She glanced at her lover. "You were kidding, right?" The blonde smirked, nodding. "Vixen," Willow whispered, giving her a short but passionate kiss.

"Hey!" Xander objected. "That's how I got into this mess in the first place. I don't want to be branded a home wrecker or something."

The redhead pulled back from her lover. "Don't worry Xander, you couldn't get me even if you still wanted me."

"Which I absolutely do not!" he agreed, eye wide. The dryer buzzed and he jumped to his feet. "Oh, thank God." The girls exchanged grins as he rushed over and started piling the warm clothes back into a pillow case.

They joined him at the machines, switching in their last loads of clothes and taking their dry clothes to the table to fold them. Xander took one look at the table full of girl's clothes and took his bag to another table.

"Oh, come on Xander, she was just teasing. She knows there's nothing going on with us. You can fold your clothes at the same table as us," Willow said, waving him over.

He shook his head quickly. "No way! I can't see all of _that_." He gestured at the piles of clothes. "I have no desire to anything frilly belonging to…" Willow raised an eyebrow and he hurriedly continued. "…any of you!"

The girls laughed and turned back to their laundry. They got the next load out and folded and Willow and Xander attempted to beat Tara at two handed thumb war while they waited for the last load of clothes to finish drying. They were managing to keep her on defense, but neither of them could pin her decisively. The buzzer on the dryer went off, but no one moved from their chairs.

Xander laughed. "Deploy the secret weapon, Will! Like last time."

The redhead laughed back, but Tara was prepared and started dodging with her head as well. Willow was concentrating on her secret weapon and the blonde managed to take her out of the thumb war. She finally let her lover's secret weapon connect and still managed to pin Xander's thumb with her eyes closed.

"Man, I thought we had her. You are freakishly good at that, Tara," Xander lamented as they all pulled the last of their clean clothes out of the dryers.

"You'd be surprised how bored home schooling can make you. My cousin Beth taught me how to play."

Willow scowled at the mention of Tara's family, but the blonde was quick to take her hand and the feel of her lover's ring pressing into her skin brought a smile to her face. They finished the folding and loaded everything back into Angel's car and drove themselves back to the hotel.

The slayers had just come in for lunch and they put their bags upstairs quickly, joining Buffy and Giles at their normal table to eat.

"How's the research going, Giles?" Tara asked.

The Watcher shook his head. "Frustratingly slow. I don't have anything to go on until I can decipher the meaning of the demon's statement. The only thing I can think is possibly an enemy named after a time of day, but I've been unable to find any references to anyone like that."

Xander grinned at Dawn. "Are you planning on destroying us anytime soon, Dawnie?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, grinning at her sister. "You'd better not be. If you are, you're so grounded."

The youngest girl smirked. "It's not on my day planner, but it's been a slow week, maybe I'll get bored."

Giles shot disapproving looks around the table and they sobered up. "How was training?" Dawn asked to change the subject.

Buffy grinned blissfully. "It's over for the day, so in my book it's a complete success. And my laundry is already done, thank you Dawn, so I'm off the hook until patrol."

The Scoobies all grinned at their leader. "So what are you going to do with your free time?" Dawn asked.

Buffy laughed excitedly. "I'm going to take a nap and it's going to be amazing." She looked around the table. "What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?"

Willow looked at Xander. "The flight leaves at one thirty. We're going to have to leave here around eleven thirty," he answered them both.

The Slayer nodded. "Okay, we should get up early and have breakfast together since we won't see you for a few days."

Tara smiled. "I can make pancakes, but I think we're out of bacon." She looked over at Giles. "Maybe you could pick some up while you're out this afternoon?" He nodded, smiling. "Well, then that's settled. Dawnie, do you want funny shapes or rounds?"

The younger girl grinned. "We should mix it up. Little bit of both?"

Tara nodded, smiling gently. "I can handle that."

They finished their lunch and the Scoobies retreated upstairs; Buffy to her nap while Xander and Willow packed for their trip.

Tara pulled out one of the duffle bags they'd bought at the store and opened it on the bed. Willow was sorting her clothes from Tara's out of the bags of fresh laundry. She found enough clothes for a week and started packing them into the bag.

Tara climbed up onto the bed and just watched her lover quietly. Willow glanced up from packing. "You okay, baby?" The blonde just nodded, smiling. Willow put the last of the clothes into the bag and moved it off the bed, sliding up to sit in front of the other witch. "I'm going to miss you, Tara."

"It's just for a few days."

She nodded. "I know that, and I want to help Xander, but I've tried to live without you for a year and the thought of going to sleep tomorrow night without you beside me…" She shook her head. "I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, sweetie, but it's something we're just going to have to live with. You need to be with Xander right now. He needs his best friend. We can give up a few days together for Xander, right?" The redhead nodded, cracking a small smile. Tara leaned against the headboard, opening her arms. "Come here and sit with me for a while." The small girl climbed up, snuggling into her lover.

"God, I missed this," Willow sighed.

Tara kissed her hair. "You don't ever have to again, Will. I'm right here. Either you'll be back next week or we'll be joining you in Scotland if the castle works out. One way or the other, we'll only be apart a few days."

The redhead nodded, thoughtful. "Thank God for that."

Tara hugged her, leaning her head against Willow's red hair. "I'm going to miss you too."

"Can we just stay like this for the rest of the day?" Willow asked, burrowing her face closer to Tara's shoulder.

Tara nodded. "Anything you want, sweetie. I'm yours."

Willow smiled into her lover's neck. "I love you." She curled an arm across Tara's waist. "So what are you and Dawnie going to do with yourselves while we're gone?"

"I was actually going to study some spells, work on getting stronger." She smiled happily. "And I have some ring shopping to do."

Willow sat up on an elbow, turning to look at Tara. "You're sweet, baby. There's no rush on getting a ring."

Tara arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me, how come you feel its important to give me a ring the day after you propose, but when I want to get you yours, there's no rush?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, it's important to me that my girl has my ring on her finger," Tara said, leaning forward, slipping a hand into Willow's hair. "I'm wearing yours. I know that matters to you."

Willow leaned forward and kissed her slowly. "Yes, it does." She kissed her again. "Thank you, Tara. I can't wait to see what you choose. I know it'll be perfect."

Tara smiled. "Will, kiss me again."

Willow complied eagerly, both hands coming up to hold Tara's head. She broke away after a long moment as air became an issue. Leaning on her elbows, she grinned at her lover. "How was that?"

"Xander made a mistake when he let you get away." She smiled back. "His loss is my gain."

Willow smirked. "Mine too." She dropped her head back onto Tara's chest.

The blonde grinned. "I'm really going to miss you too, baby." Willow tilted her head and nipped gently at Tara's neck. "Okay, I think we've got a plan for the afternoon," she said breathily as she rolled them over, kissing the redhead deeply. "You're all packed, right? Nothing left to do?" she double-checked before things got more intense.

Willow shook her head. "Nothing left to pack, just got to grab my toothbrush in the morning. Got plenty to do, though." Tara kissed her quickly as she smiled.


	11. Chapter 10

They didn't make an appearance at dinner, but none of the other Scoobies were surprised. The girls finally managed to drag themselves apart in time for Tara to make good on her promise of breakfast the next morning. Their friends joined them as the blonde was putting the finishing touches on their meal.

"Good to see you guys this morning," Dawn commented with a grin. "You must be hungry."

Tara shot her a chiding look. "Good morning, Dawnie." The blonde put the last of the food on the table and sat down beside Willow, taking her hand under the table. "Let's eat."

They ate slowly, none of them eager to get on with the rest of their day.

"Can we go with you to the airport?" Dawn asked around a mouthful of food. She looked at her sister. "Do you even have time for that?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, Faith's handling training again." She glanced at her Watcher. "Do you want to come with us?"

He shook his head. "I think I'll be more useful researching." He glanced at Willow and Xander. "I'll say my goodbyes here. We'll be in touch while you're away." He pulled a card out of his pocket. "I picked this up while we were out yesterday. It's an international phone card. We don't have the proper plans on our mobile phones so with this it won't cost us a small fortune for you to stay in communication." He handed the card over to Xander.

"Thanks, Giles. This is great," Willow said, smiling at him gratefully.

He nodded. "You're welcome. Thank you two for helping with the castle."

Xander shrugged. "No problem. We get a vacation in Scotland and don't have to deal with the slayers." He glanced at Buffy with a grin. "Sorry, Buffy."

The Slayer rolled her eyes. "Thanks _so _much, Xander. Soon enough they might be swarming all over your little vacation."

They finished eating and Xander and Willow finished packing. They loaded their bags into Angel's car, Xander taking the keys. Buffy sat in the front with him and the other girls climbed into the back seat. They parked in short term parking at the airport, checking their bags.

Buffy, Dawn, and Tara couldn't go past the metal detectors so they stopped to say goodbye there. Dawn hugged Xander first. "You guys have fun. Get me a souvenir." She stepped back, pointing at him. "And don't get man-bitched."

Xander rolled his eyes. "We probably won't even see Dracula."

"I'll keep him out of trouble, Dawnie," Willow said, hugging the younger girl. "And don't say bitch. You're too young to start talking like that," she added, giving the younger girl a look.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You guys say it, and you're not that much older than me," she argued.

Buffy hugged them next. "You guys be careful. Call if you need anything." She looked at her sister. "And don't say bitch, Dawn. We may not be that much older, but you still have to listen to us."

Willow smirked at the younger girl and nodded before turning her gaze to the Slayer. "We'll be fine, Buffy. It's not some dangerous mission, just visiting a castle," Willow assured her, hugging her best friend. "You guys be careful too. L.A.'s not the most peaceful city in the world," she said more quietly.

The Slayer nodded. "We're always careful," she reminded the witch seriously. "I'll take care of her," she whispered into Willow's hair.

Willow nodded, whispering back. "I know you will. Thank you."

Tara hugged Xander. "You guys have fun." She smiled teasingly. "And you watch your hands," she said mock-warningly. He grinned and lifted both of his hands, wiggling his fingers playfully.

Buffy released Willow, stepping back as Tara faced her lover. They hugged and kissed briefly, whispering to each other. Tara stepped back finally, holding one of Willow's hands.

"We'll call when we land," Willow promised, squeezing Tara's fingers and pulling her back in. The blonde nodded, smiling at her.

"Have a good flight." They kissed again. "I love you."

Willow smiled. "I love you too." They parted slowly and Xander and Willow started going through security, the redhead repeatedly glancing back over her shoulder to where Tara was staring back at her.

Buffy and Dawn stepped up on either side of Tara as their friends disappeared from sight, the Slayer putting a comforting hand on the blonde witch's shoulder. "It's just for a few days. She'll be back soon."

Tara nodded. "I know." She looked at the other girls. "I'm fine, guys. I promise."

Dawn smiled. "We know you're going to miss her. She misses you too. We're just going to help distract you so you're not all mopey and sad like the last time you were separated from her." Buffy immediately shot a look at her sister. "Um…I mean…" Dawn faltered, belatedly stopping her sentence.

Tara hushed her. "I know what you mean, Dawnie. I remember what happened." She smiled sincerely. "I actually wanted you guys to help me with some ring shopping. I want to find an engagement ring for Willow while she's gone."

Dawn grinned and squealed. "Yay! I'd love to come."

Buffy smiled. "Sure thing, Tara."

* * *

Xander bumped Willow with an elbow as they took their seats. "You okay, Will?"

She smiled genuinely at him. "Sure I am. Everyone assumes we're going to fall to pieces, but we're fine. We _can_ be apart." She looked at him seriously. "How are you doing? We haven't really had time to talk since we decided I was coming with you."

He smirked. "Don't you mean since you _told_ me you were coming with me?"

She shrugged, grinning. "However you want to describe it is fine with me. How are you doing, Xander?"

He smiled. "Doing better already, Will. Thanks."

They watched the in-flight movie quietly, sleeping for the rest of the time. They finally landed in Scotland after several layovers and wearily climbed into a taxi. While Xander gave the driver the address, Willow used the phone card Giles had given them and Xander's cell phone to call home.

Buffy answered her phone immediately. "Hey, you guys make it okay?"

"Yeah, we're in the taxi on the way to the castle. This place is kind of out of the way. It's going to cost a fortune to drive out here." She paused. "But that should be helpful for us, you know, if we end up staying here."

"How are you going to get out of there if you're taking a taxi?" Buffy asked.

Willow frowned. "Actually, that's a good question. Xander, how are we leaving the castle if we need to go somewhere? We don't have a car or anything."

He looked uncomfortable. "Um…there are horses there. I'm sorry, Will. I know you hate them."

Willow gaped at him in horror. "I won't be leaving the castle," she said into the phone.

Buffy laughed. "Horses aren't so bad, Will. You can handle horses."

"We'll figure something out, Will," Xander promised. He raised his voice so the Slayer could hear him clearly. "Quick, hand the phone to Tara before she kills me." He could hear Buffy's laughter through the speaker. "I wasn't kidding!"

Buffy handed the phone off to Tara, still laughing. "Xander needs you to talk to Willow."

She quickly put it up to her ear. "Baby, you okay?" She heard her lover take a deep, shuddering breath. "Willow, talk to me, what is it?"

"Xander has us staying at a place where the only transportation out is horses. Horses, baby!" The redhead's voice was frantic and distracted.

Tara laughed despite herself, relieved that it wasn't something worse. "Sweetie, aww, baby. You can do this, horses are nothing to worry about. I promise. You just have to be confident and you'll be fine. They won't hurt you."

"You promise?" The witch's voice turned pitiful.

Tara smiled tenderly, rolling her eyes at Buffy's giggles. "Of course I do, love. You know I'd never tell you to do something that would get you hurt. I promise as long as you're firm and act confident they won't bother you. Then all you have to do is make sure and keep your feet out from under theirs."

Xander spoke up. "I think Dracula said something about leaving a motorcycle for me, maybe we could use that."

He could hear Tara's voice through the speaker as she raised her voice. "Motorcycle! Xander Harris, you better not put my girl on a motorcycle!"

Willow shot him a look and he snatched the phone. "Oh, we've got to go now. We'll call you back tomorrow," he said quickly into the phone. He didn't give her a chance to respond, snapping the phone shut.

She grinned at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "And I'm the one who's whipped?"

They finished the rest of their ride in silence, both tired from their long flight. They paid the cab driver and hauled their bags into the castle. It was set on a hill and in the predawn darkness Willow had some trouble finding the latch for the large wooden door. She finally found it, unlocking it with the key Xander had received from Dracula.

They were relieved to find that the electricity was working as they flipped the switch. Willow stared around her as they walked in. The entrance hall was huge, stairs running along the right hand wall. There were doors along the left hand wall and Xander noticed a piece of paper pinned to the inside of the door they'd entered through. He shut and locked the door behind them, making sure it was closed securely before he grabbed the paper.

Willow was still staring around the room so Xander read aloud for her benefit. "Dracula said he had two of the rooms on this floor cleaned and fixed up with linens."

"How many rooms are on this floor?" the redhead asked curiously.

Xander shrugged. "I don't remember. We'll have to check out the blueprints in the morning. We should just call it a night for now. I'm beat."

She nodded as she yawned. "Agreed. Let's find these rooms."

The last doors they checked opened to reveal the cleaned bedrooms. Willow flopped happily onto a bed. "Remind me to apologize for everything I've said against Dracula."

Xander grinned. "He did well for us, that's for sure." He went into the next room and let out a loud whoop as he dropped into his own bed. "He did very well for us."

Willow poked her head into Xander's room. "We're going to have fun exploring this place tomorrow. I can't wait. Do we have anything specific we need to do, or is it just scoping it out and cleaning it up?"

He shrugged, glancing around the room. "We can just take a tour, try and figure out if this place will work for us."

Willow nodded, yawning. "Sounds good. I'm curious to see what this place looks like in the daylight," she commented as she returned to her room. Raising her voice, she called goodnight to Xander and got ready for bed.

It took the redhead several hours to fall asleep, unable to get comfortable alone. She finally dozed off, but didn't stay asleep long, waking up around ten the next morning. Xander's door was still closed so she wandered around the main floor. There were steps in the front room that went down into an underground cellar, a large room big enough for at least a few hundred people to gather with room to move. She walked back upstairs, greeting Xander as he came out of his room, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

"Good morning, Will." He straightened his eye patch. "You find anything good?"

"There's a giant room downstairs where the slayers can train. We'd have to fix it up, you know, add some storage for weapons, but it's definitely workable."

He grinned. "I can handle that. Let's take a look around the rest of this floor and we can see if Dracula maybe left something edible around here."

"I'll eat anything if it means I don't have to go anywhere on a horse," the witch commented, shuddering at the thought of the large animals.

Xander laughed. "If we end up staying here, Tara's really going to have to teach you how to ride…the horses," he added the last word as an afterthought, smirking at her.

Willow rolled her eyes, pointing a finger at him. "You've got a dirty mind," she commented before grinning. "But Tara taught me how to ride a long time ago." She patted him on the chest as she walked through the front room, leaving him gaping at her. He closed his mouth slowly, walking quickly to catch up.

They found a large kitchen on the ground floor and Willow was relieved to find a small amount of food. She tossed a pack of pop tarts to Xander and grabbed one for herself. He checked the appliances while he munched on his breakfast. He looked up at Willow from crouching in front of the oven. "You know, once you get used to quality breakfast, these toaster things really just taste like cardboard."

She grinned. "I know what you mean. At least all of this stuff seems to be in good shape. And this place is huge!"

He stood up. "Yeah, there's more than enough room in here to make food for however many girls we have here. Who is going to cook that food is another story entirely."

Willow grimaced. "I have the advantage of not being able to cook to get me out of that job. And if they think my Tara will cook for all of them, they're out of their minds."

"Jealous, Will?" He smirked, looking across the room at her as he tested the stove.

The redhead looked at him incredulously. "Of the slayers? Not a chance. I'm just not going to let a bunch of super-powered women run my girl ragged serving them."

He nodded. "That makes sense. Maybe we should look for somewhere in here that's separate from the slayers for the Scoobies to stay. I'm not looking forward to living with all of these women." Willow shot him a look, arching an eyebrow. "You know what I mean."

She nodded. "Yeah, it's not my idea of a picnic either."

They continued to explore, finding that there were twelve bedrooms on the main floor, each one large enough to fit two twin beds. There were half as many bathrooms, but each had a shower. There were two upper floors, each with a large suite in either wing, both with a central living room with five bedrooms off of it. In addition, there were more bedrooms on either wing of the castle.

"So this place definitely has enough rooms." Xander commented, sliding down a wall to sit on the floor. There was no furniture but there was plenty of space. "We could take one of the upstairs living room suites for the Scoobies and maybe let the other teachers live in the other one."

Willow nodded as she joined him. "I think this place will work great. We really need to thank Dracula for helping us find it. He really did us a big favor." She winced as she shifted her hips. "We might think about getting some really thick rugs for the bedrooms. This stone floor is cold and hurts my butt."

Xander grinned. "So we should call the cavalry? Let them know we have a home?"

Willow smiled back at him. "I think so. At least we can tell them it looks good. We should probably go take a walk outside, check out the property before we tell them to start packing though."

He stood up, pulling her to her feet and extending an arm to her. She curled her arm through his and grinned. "Let's take a walk then."

The castle included several acres of pastureland and a large barn. Willow stayed near the large doors as they entered the barn, well away from the stalls with horses in them. Xander laughed at her, petting several of the horses on the nose.

"Are they staying here if we buy this place?" she asked, glancing around the barn cautiously.

Xander shrugged. "The paperwork I was reading says the current owners are looking to get rid of all of it. So, yeah, probably." Willow frowned and he laughed. "Maybe we'll have to sell some of them for money, Will. Running this club isn't going to be cheap."

She cheered up. "That's a good idea. We can sell them. That would be helping the group and they'd be away from me."

"You might learn to like them, Will. I know Tara could help you. It might be fun."

She glanced uneasily around the barn. "We'll see what Buffy says. She's the boss."

He nodded, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Speaking of our fearless leader, how about we give her a call? Do you have the phone card on you, or did we leave it back up at the castle?" He paused. "That sounds weird to say."

Willow grinned, turning her back on the barn. "I left it in the pants I was wearing last night. We'll have to go back up there. What time is it at home anyway?"

He glanced at his phone, doing the math. "They're eight hours behind us. So…it's…Will? What time is it there?"

"It's two in the afternoon here so it's six in the morning there. We might wait until later this afternoon to call them. They probably wouldn't appreciate the wake up call."

She turned back toward the barn, waiting for Xander to come out. She came back into the barn quickly when she heard him whoop loudly. "Xander!" she hissed anxiously. "Don't do that in here!" She looked around frantically at the horses. "What is it anyways?"

"I found the motorcycle Dracula mentioned," Xander said, pulling open one of the stall doors. Willow looked over his shoulder at it. "This thing is awesome." He stepped into the stall with it. There was a helmet hanging on the handlebars and a note stuck to the windscreen. He read it quietly, his face sobering.

Willow frowned, walking over to stand next to him. "What is it?"

Xander glanced over at her. "He sends condolences for Anya." His voice was thick. She stayed quiet, touching his arm gently. One of his hands dropped to touch the top of the bike. "I miss her, Will. I hate waking up everyday and knowing she's not going to be there when I roll over." Willow curled one arm around his shoulders and leaned her head against his arm, staying silent. "It was over, and we talked before she died, but it doesn't feel like she's gone, you know?"

The redhead took a deep, shuddering breath. "I know exactly what you mean."

He looked down at her. "How did you survive feeling like this?"

She smiled sadly. "I think it could be argued that I very much _didn't _survive it. I don't think mine is a good example of coping to follow."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You got better though. You moved on, right?"

She looked up at him. "I did get better, and you will too. It takes time, and a lot of days where you don't know how in the world you're going to be able to breath from the pain, much less get out of bed and function like a human." She took another deep breath. "The moving on takes longer, I'm afraid." She squeezed him into a hug. "It will get better though, I promise."

He smiled slowly, grief tainting it. "I believe you."

She returned his smile. "And I'll be with you the whole time. Anytime you need anything from me, you know you don't even have to ask."

"I know that." He swallowed and blinked, reaching up to adjust his eye patch. Looking down at the motorcycle quickly, he glanced back at Willow, eager to change the subject. "What do you say we take this thing for a ride?"

She took a step back quickly, looking from him to the bike. "I don't know about that Xander. Do you even know how to drive one of those things?"

He grinned at her. "Of course I do. I learned that summer after senior year, on my failed cross country trip. One of my jobs while I was trying to fix my car was delivering pizzas on a old scooter. I bet this thing handles much better." His look turned pleading. "Come on Will, just a short one. Once around the property?"

She eyed the motorcycle warily. "Pull it out of here and if you prove you can drive this thing we can go once around the grounds." She pointed a finger at him warningly. "But Tara might kill you if she finds out. She hates motorcycles like I hate horses."

He grinned. "Thanks, Will. I'll keep it quiet." He swung a leg over the bike, leaning it upright and moving the kickstand. Willow stepped closer to the wall to give him room to maneuver the bike out of the stall. He walked it out of the barn to avoid spooking the horses with the engine, not starting it until Willow had closed the barn doors behind them. He turned the key and the engine started with a roar.

He grinned and twisted the throttle, starting the bike moving. Willow lingered near the barn while Xander rode the bike around the large building, shifting smoothly. He brought it to a controlled stop in front of the redheaded witch, holding the helmet out to her. "Come on. It'll be fun. I promise." He shot her a look. "And I promise I won't crash and kill us."

She took the helmet finally, pushing it down onto her head and climbing up behind him on the bike. "I know it's not how you swing anymore, but you're going to have to hold onto me." He shot a grin at her over his shoulder. She slid her arms around his waist, pinching his stomach firmly as she did so. He yelped and rubbed at his skin with one hand, hearing her muffled laughter from inside the helmet.

He put the hand back on the bars and took them slowly down the hill toward the back of the property. They rode along the fence line, and once they had done a circuit of the perimeter, he turned the bike back to the castle and they drove around the base of the walls. He pulled up and stopped them when they found a door in the back wall.

They climbed off and Willow pulled the helmet off, Xander laughing at the effect it had had on her hair. She pushed at it with one hand, scowling at him. "If I keep riding that thing with you I'm going to have to figure out something else to do with my hair. This is not a good side effect," she commented, trying to brush it out with her fingers.

He grinned widely. "So you liked it? Told you you'd have fun."

She grinned back. "It was so fast! I loved it."

"I can teach you to drive it if you want," he offered as they walked up to the door.

Willow shook her head. "I liked riding and would love to keep doing that, but I don't know if teaching me to ride it by myself would be the best idea if you want Tara to not kill you."

Xander paused, thoughtful. "You're right. Maybe you could soften her up first."

She grinned. "And me as a biker chick is kind of a butch vibe that I don't really think I could pull off."

He rolled his eye. "The female mind is something that I will never understand." He fished his key from his pocket, sliding it into the lock on the door.

"Fortunately there will be hundreds here soon for you to study and learn from," she said with a sarcastic grin as he opened the door.

There were steps inside the room and they walked down slowly, trying not to trip in the dark. Xander found a light switch and they looked around.

"This is going to help," he commented. The room was full of swords and axes, all hanging neatly on the wall. The room was damp but none of the weapons seemed to be too much worse for the wear.

"We can make the rookies sharpen and polish them," Willow said with a grin.

Xander looked around at the room. "If we moved these racks upstairs to the training room, we could use this place to…I don't know…you could do magic stuff down here, or something."

She glanced around, wrinkling her nose. "I'm sure we'll find something to do with it."

They climbed up out of the room and Xander locked it up behind them. "Want to take another spin on the bike before we go back inside and call home?" Willow grinned and pushed the helmet back down on her head. He climbed on and she jumped up behind him. "Want to go faster this time?" The helmet bobbed up and down and he grinned as he started the bike. He took off slowly, building their speed gradually. He did another lap of the property and they pulled back up to the front door of the castle as the sun was going down.

Xander went to the kitchen to find something for them to eat while Willow went to get the phone card from her room. She grimaced as she noticed that all they had to eat were some frozen hamburgers.

"I'll do what I can with these, you call home and fill Buffy in." He slid his phone across the table to her and dropped two burger patties onto the pan.

The phone rang twice before the Slayer answered. "Hey guys, how's it going over there?" She sounded distracted and Willow could hear loud chattering in the background.

"It's going great. Did I call during lunch?"

"Yeah, sorry Will. We're getting ready to go back to training. I want to hear all about the castle though. Faith can handle it for a while."

Willow rolled her eyes. "The castle looks great, Buffy. There are probably seventy bedrooms and a giant room in the basement for training and there are two big suites that have private living rooms. We were thinking the Scoobies could live in one and we could let the senior slayers use the other one. Oh, and we found a room under the back of the castle that's full of weapons. And there's a giant kitchen on the main floor."

"That sounds great, Willow! So you guys think it will work for us?"

"Oh yeah, it should be perfect. How's the training going? Are they going to be ready to help with the new ones?"

"It should be good. We'll give them a few days to get settled into Scotland before we start bringing in the new ones though. Some time off will help all of us."

Willow grinned. "Sounds like a plan. So what do we have to do to finalize all of this? I'm pretty sure we can't afford this off your savings from the Doublemeat."

"I'll talk to Giles, he should be able to pull his Council strings to get everything legalized. Thanks for doing this, Will. I appreciate it."

"It's no trouble at all, Buff. It's been fun." She glanced at Xander at the stove, standing up and moving back into the front room. "Xander's doing a little better. We talked a little this afternoon. Dracula left him a motorcycle as a condolence and it kind of got him started talking."

"I'm glad to hear that. I've been worried about him. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Buffy said, relieved.

"Of course I will, Buffy. So, when do you think you guys will make it over here?" She was unable to resist asking.

The witch could hear her friend's smile through the phone. "Maybe another two days. We've got to have time to organize travel for fifteen people and we have to pack all of our stuff from the hotel. We're still finding things the girls who left forgot."

"Okay, well we'll get to work on cleaning. We're going to need some furniture too. There's no way for us to transport any around here either. All we have is Xander's motorcycle and the horses. Maybe I could magic some up for us," she mused, already trying to formulate a plan in her busy brain.

Buffy laughed. "I'm sure we can figure something out. Don't start conjuring up anything yet." Willow could hear another voice in the background. "Um Will, Tara wants to talk to you so I'm going to go train now. Bye."

Willow could hear the phone being handed off and her eyes slid closed as she heard Tara's voice bidding Buffy goodbye. "Hey, baby. I miss you. It took forever for me to fall asleep last night."

"I miss you too, Will. I didn't sleep good either. It's not the same without you beside me. I kept reaching for you and you weren't there and it would wake me up," Tara admitted. Neither girl spoke for several moments before Tara spoke again. "I don't want to use too much time so you can still call tomorrow, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Buffy said that you guys should be coming over here in a few days," Willow said excitedly.

"That's great, baby. I can't wait to see you." She paused. "We're kind of pathetic aren't we?"

Willow smiled. "I feel no shame about that. We've been separated for a year. Any single day past that is a day too many as far as I'm concerned."

"That sounds reasonable to me," the blonde responded and Willow could hear the smile in her lover's voice. "And after this we'll never have to be separated again, right?"

Willow shook her head despite the fact that Tara couldn't see her. "Nope. After this we'll get married and we'll be together so much you'll be sick of me," she said playfully.

Tara laughed and Willow felt her heart beat faster at the sound. "You might be surprised by how long it would take to make me sick of you, my love. I'm fairly certain it would take an eternity. "

"That sounds perfect to me," Willow said. "Not one day less than an eternity it is then," she declared happily.

Tara laughed again and Willow could hear noise in the background on Tara's end of the line and her lover's voice came back. "Willow, Dawn's here and I've got to go now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Tara. Say hey to Dawnie for me. I'll see you soon. I love you," Willow said quietly.

"I love you too. Be careful."

They hung up the phone and Willow returned to the kitchen. Xander was pulling the burgers off the stove as she came in and she grabbed plates for them and took them to the table.

"Buffy said they should be coming in two days or so. I told her we'd start cleaning, but I don't know what we're going to do for furniture." Xander flipped the burgers onto the plates and sat down with her.

"We'll figure something out." He glanced at their dinner. "Sorry there's no ketchup or anything. Dracula doesn't really understand people food anymore."

She shrugged. "No big deal. We should probably go get some more food before everyone else gets here. And we're going to need a car or something."

"We can take the bike into town tomorrow. One of us needs to get a local driver's license so we can at least rent a car." He looked at the witch speculatively. "Or could you work some computer voodoo and hook us up?"

"I can do it if we need to. Do you think we'll need fake identities? Because that's a bit more work than just putting our names in whatever passes for a DMV over here."

"I have no idea. That's a question for Buffy and Giles. We don't know yet how public the masses of new slayers have made our little organization." He started eating.

Willow frowned. "I guess we'll just have to ask them because I have no idea."

"It's not anything we have to figure out tonight. We just have to clean tonight. We can handle that. I vote we clean the bedrooms down here on this floor and then we can call it a night."

Willow nodded. "Sounds good to me. We can clean a floor a day and leave the basement for the slayers to clean and then you can fix it up for them later. That will give us time to pick which rooms we want."

He grinned. "Should be we take the second floor or the third?"

"We can check which floor has better visibility, that one can be the tactical place for us to live or whatever," Willow said, eating her dinner.

They finished eating and found a broom and mop in the corner of the kitchen. Xander swept each bedroom and Willow mopped behind him. They finished cleaning in a few hours and went back to Xander's room, a movie on Willow's laptop playing in the background as they talked into the night. After the movie she went back to her room and they went to bed, Willow still struggling to sleep alone.


	12. Chapter 11

The next day they cleaned the second floor all morning before taking the motorcycle into town to buy some groceries. They could only buy as much food as would fit in the duffle bag they had brought with them, but they managed to get enough to last through the weekend. Buffy called while they were riding back so Willow called her back as soon as they got back to the castle while Xander put their food away in the kitchen.

"What's up, Buffy?"

"I was just calling to check in. We've got tickets for Thursday so we'll be there late that night. How's it going over there?"

Willow laughed. "We cleaned the main floor last night and the second floor today and we're going to finish up the cleaning tomorrow and move the furniture Dracula left us upstairs into our new rooms. And we just got back from town. We bought groceries, but there wasn't much room to carry a lot so we'll have to go again this weekend."Buffy frowned. "How did you get to town? I thought there were just evil horses there."

"Oh, we took Xander's new motorcycle."

Buffy glanced around to make sure Tara wasn't within hearing distance. "Doesn't Tara kind of hate motorcycles?"

"Oh yeah, she does, so you shouldn't mention it to her until I have a chance to soften her up, okay Buffy?"

The Slayer laughed. "Sure thing, Will. I won't say anything."

Willow could hear Xander crashing around in the kitchen and spoke into the phone. "Buffy, Xander's all alone with the groceries, I should get in there and help him."

"Okay, Will. We miss you. See you on Thursday."

The witch smiled. "We miss you too. Tell…tell Tara I love her."

"Of course I will, Willow. She knows, but I'll tell her."

They hung up and she rejoined Xander in the kitchen, helping him unpack the rest of the food. It was still light outside so they took another run around the grounds on the motorcycle before Xander made dinner, both grateful that there was nothing frozen involved in their meal.

They washed their dishes and went back to Xander's room, crawling onto his bed with Willow's computer to watch another movie.

"I'm glad I'm here with you," Willow commented as they waited for the computer to boot up.

He looked over at her quietly. "I am too, Will. Thank you." He put the disc into the tray on the computer. She put the computer down by his feet and leaned back against the headboard with him. He was still looking at her, and she smiled up at him. He smiled back and put his arm up, opening his side up to her.

"Thanks, Xander. I haven't been sleeping great since we got here. I'm wiped," she murmured, resting her head on his chest, his arm curling comfortably around her shoulders. They watched the movie quietly, both of them falling asleep before it was over. Willow woke up once when her foot hit the laptop. She sat up enough to move the computer to the floor, laying back in the bed and going back to sleep immediately, paying no attention to her surroundings.

The next morning she rolled over and started in surprise as she realized it was Xander sleeping beside her. She opened her eyes quickly, relaxing as she saw that he was still sleeping. She retrieved her laptop and went back to her room to take a shower and change clothes.

She poked her head in his room again after she was done. He was still sleeping so she took the broom and mop up to the third floor and started cleaning. She had been working for an hour when she heard Xander calling her name. "I'm up here," she called back loudly, walking out of the bedroom she was working in and going to the top of the stairs. After a moment, he appeared at the bottom.

"Morning, Will. I guess we fell asleep last night." He grinned. "You'll have to protect me from your fiancée. She expressly told me to keep my hands to myself."

She smiled goofily at the word fiancée, giggling. "There were no hands. You didn't even touch me…we just slept in the same bed. We've slept in the same bed before, Xander."

"We were eight." He grinned. "And you weren't engaged to an amazingly powerful witch who can turn me into something gross, or hex my parts off, or something equally horrible."

Willow laughed at him, still smiling goofily. "She trusts us." He looked doubtfully up at her as the redhead came down the stairs to meet him. "She trusts us," she reiterated as he still looked uncertain.

He shrugged. "I know, she's just been…protective recently with coming back to life and the demon lady and everything. I don't want to get on her bad side. I don't want my best friend's wife to hate me."

She grinned, elbowing him gently. "I can talk to her if you want me to. I promise she won't care though."

They went downstairs, back to the kitchen to make breakfast. "How much did you get done up there while I was out?" Xander asked as he started scrambling eggs.

"Just a few rooms in the left wing. Plenty left for you to help with. And Buffy, and Dawnie, and everybody will be here tomorrow!" she said, getting excited.

He grinned over his shoulder at her. "We should do something to welcome them." His voice trailed off as they heard someone pounding on the doors of the castle. They looked at each other in surprise, Xander pulling the pan carefully off the stove as he and Willow went to the door.

They were surprised to see delivery men and string of trucks on the long driveway. The two exchanged confused looks.

"Can we help you?" Xander asked cautiously.

The delivery man stepped forward, extending a clipboard. "A Mr. Rupert Giles ordered four full beds and mattresses and one hundred and fifty twin sized to be delivered to this address." Xander read the order sheet quickly, handing it to Willow. "We'll need a signature at the bottom, Miss." He handed a pen to the redhead and she scribbled her name.

"I'll get these doors open if you want to back the trucks up to the door," Xander offered, pulling the door open wider as Willow unlocked the other side, pulling it open as well.

"Thank you, sir. Set up is included in delivery if you could direct us where to put these." The delivery man took his clipboard back from Willow and she nodded.

"There are twelve bedrooms on this floor. We'll be putting two of the twins in each room," Xander said, point to the bedroom doors.

Willow leaned over and whispered to him quickly, "I'm going to finish the cleaning upstairs and move our beds up to the second floor. Keep them out of the rooms we've been using for a minute."

"How? Oh." He figured out what she was doing. "Be careful, Will."

She nodded, closing her eyes. After a moment she opened them again, nodding to him. He looked carefully, but there was no remnant of blackness in her eyes and he let out a deep breath.

"It's all done? That fast?"

She grinned, laughing. "Actually it kind of looks like that part of 'The Sword in the Stone' where all the dishes were cleaning themselves on the third floor, but it'll be done before they get up there."

He frowned. "You can do that and we've been busting our butts to clean this place manually? This place is huge, Will!" he reminded her, grinning.

She rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder. "You know you've been having fun." She looked up at him, smiled shifting into something serious. "And I know you wouldn't want me to do it that way anyways."

He nodded seriously. "You're right. I just want you to be safe, that's all."

"I know that, and I was. I'm very careful."

He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her hair. "Thanks, Will."

She grinned. "Let's eat those eggs really quick and we can help these poor guys with all these beds."

They spent the rest of the day helping the delivery men move the beds into the castle. It was after midnight before they finally finished, everyone tired. They tipped the men generously and sealed themselves in the castle. Xander dropped himself wearily into a chair in the kitchen. "And now we can sleep until everyone gets here tomorrow right?"

Willow grinned at him, leaning herself into the open refrigerator, trying to cool down. "Yeah, we could, actually. We finished everything today. The slayers have beds, we moved our furniture to our new rooms, we've got beds in place for Buffy, Dawn, Faith, and Giles, and we cleaned all three floors, top to bottom. We can sleep all day tomorrow if we want to." She yawned. "I want to ride the motorcycle at least once though."

He nodded sleepily, glancing around. "Why was it a good idea to move our rooms up the stairs? That means we have to climb them to get to our beds."

"We should probably buy some sheets for the slayers' beds tomorrow too," Willow commented absently.

He grinned. "We can make a list in the morning, Will." He stood up, pulling her back from the fridge. "Let's go upstairs and get to bed." They climbed up to the second floor, turning to the suite they'd chosen for themselves. She had put their beds in rooms that were next to each other and they broke apart at the doors to their rooms.

Willow took a shower on autopilot, not paying attention to what she was doing, just letting her mind wander. She left her dirty clothes just lying on the floor of the room, making an absent mental note to pick them up the next day. It was only as she reached to turn the light off at the switch by the door that she really paused, the reality of everything they'd accomplished this week getting her attention.

They hadn't just cleaned a castle in this few days; they had found themselves a new home. They were going to help slayers all over the world learn to fight evil. Slayers that she herself had awakened. The concept was too much for her tired mind and she tightened her focus to what was in front of her at that moment.

She couldn't stop the smile that came to her mouth as she looked around her new bedroom. It was bare, the bed the only furniture, but her mind's eye could already see the finished room, the personal touches that would make it home. Their home. She found herself missing her beloved's voice suddenly and flicked the light switch off, finding her phone in the dark, dropping her pants back on the floor and using the light from the screen to find the bed. She hit the speed dial as she pulled the covers up over herself.

"Willow? Are you okay? W-w-w-hat's wrong?" Tara's voice was nervous as she answered the phone on the second ring.

Willow's eyes dropped closed and she could help smiling. "Tara," she whispered, her voice low.

"Honey, are you okay? It has to be almost two in the morning there," Tara said, relieved to hear her lover's voice, but still worried.

Willow nodded to herself. "I'm fine, Tara. I just wanted to hear your voice. I didn't mean to scare you."

Tara smiled to herself and waved reassuringly to Buffy and Giles, stepping away from the table where they'd been working on organizing the new slayer's contact information. She held Buffy's phone close to her ear and wandered out to the hotel's patio. "It's okay. I'm glad you called. I miss you."

"Buffy gave you my message, right?" Willow asked, her voice teasing.

Tara laughed and nodded. "I love you too, Willow. She told me."

"Good," Willow said and sighed. "How come the days you look forward to the most take the longest to get here?" she asked hypothetically.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. It'll be here tomorrow though." She could hear Willow yawn and she missed her lover's presence sharply. Watching Willow sleep was a gift she treasured. "Seriously love, it has to really late. How come you're not asleep?"

Willow's voice came back sleepy and adorable, and Tara felt herself fall even deeper in love. "I don't like sleeping without you. This bed doesn't smell like you. I don't like it," she pouted.

Tara laughed quietly, teasing and deliberately misunderstanding. "Is it too hard or something, baby? We can get a different mattress."

"No, it's comfortable, but it's not _ours_. Not yet." Willow's voice was dancing ever closer to sleep and Tara knew the redhead wouldn't last much longer.

"I'll be home with you tomorrow, Willow. You just go to sleep now and I'll be there tomorrow, I promise," Tara assured her, her own voice low and quiet, the sound lulling Willow closer and closer to sleep.

"And you will be, cause you'd never lie to me so you have to be here," Willow slurred, now only barely awake.

Tara nodded, eyes closing uncontrollably. "That's right, baby. I'll never lie to you. Now, go to sleep sweet girl. I love you."

"Love you, Ta-ra," Willow murmured and Tara could only smile as she hung up.

* * *

Xander woke the next morning with his stomach growling. He rolled out of bed and took a quick shower before padding downstairs and starting to make breakfast. Willow joined him not long after he started, her hair lopsided from falling asleep with it wet.

He looked over at her as she came in. "Morning, Will. Or is it still morning? I didn't bother to check the time before I came down here."

"It's about ten before noon." She yawned. "I could sleep more though."

He grinned. "Yeah, I only woke up because I was hungry. We didn't eat much yesterday."

"I vote for breakfast, naps, and then a bike ride before we go to meet them at the airport," Willow suggested, voice muffled as she rested her head on the table.

Xander laughed. "If we ride the bike to the airport, how are you going to hide it from Tara?"

She sat up. "I didn't think of that. I want to meet them at the airport, but that would definitely bust us." She shrugged tiredly. "We'll figure something out."

They ate their breakfast and filed back upstairs to crash again. Willow woke up again around two, not bothering to change back into her clothes, wandering back into the living room with supplies from her bag. She set up a protection spell and started casting it, seating herself on the floor.

Xander kept quiet as he came out of his room an hour later, spotting Willow sitting cross-legged on the floor. After a few minutes she opened her eyes, extending an arm. Xander pulled her up, steadying her.

"What were you doing?" he asked, glancing around the room.

She looked around. "Protection spell for the castle. I figure we'll beef up the security more later, but I didn't want us to be completely unprotected. You know, now that there are going to be people here that bad people want to get to."

He grinned widely. "Which isn't me."

She smirked at him. "You sound really happy about that."

He shrugged. "I don't envy the slayers, or even you or Tara. You guys, and Dawnie, you guys are all important, you know, supernaturally. I'm just a carpenter." He put up a hand to stop her protests. "I know everyone loves me, and I'm important to the Scoobies. I'm just not important to the big, stinky evil things. And that completely works for me."

She smiled and slipped an arm around his waist. "You'd better believe you're important to us. You're my best friend, Xander. You always will be."

He smiled, squeezing her back. "I know that. You're my best friend too, Will."

She grinned. "Buffy already called Maid of Honor, but I wanted to ask you to be the best man. Do you want to stand up with me?"

He grabbed her, spinning them around. "Of course I do! Will, thanks!"

She laughed. "Thank you! I wouldn't want anyone else up there with me."

They hugged again and he set her down on her feet. "Want to go take a celebratory ride on the motorcycle?" She grinned and nodded. "Well, go put on some jeans, pajamas aren't really good for it." She ran back into her room and changed clothes quickly, rejoining him in the living room. "Do you have to do anything else for the protection spell, or is it good to go?"

She shook her head as they went down the stairs. "Nope, it should be fine." They went outside and he pulled the bike up onto the driveway, handing her the helmet. She climbed up behind him and they took off, riding around the property several times, going faster and faster each time.

They pulled up after sundown, going back inside to eat dinner. Xander cooked again, Willow testing the protection spell while he was working. He finished cooking and they ate together, Willow growing visibly anxious the closer they got to their friends' arrival.

"So have you figured out what you want to do about meeting them at the airport?" He grinned over at her. "You're not going to just be able to wait here for them, it's barely eight and you can hardly sit still."

Willow grinned back. "Their flight doesn't get here until eleven, we have time to figure it out."

He laughed. "We're going to end up taking the bike and you're going to count on her being so happy to see you again that she won't kill us for riding a motorcycle to meet her," he predicted, still grinning at her.

She thought for a moment, finally nodding. "Yeah, you're probably right. That's what we'll do."

They took another few laps on the bike, killing time before finally leaving for town. They stopped at a store before they went to the airport and filled the duffle bag with sheet sets for the new beds. They still got there early and Willow anxiously paced the floor in the waiting area. Xander took a seat, holding the helmet on his knee, laughing quietly at the witch's excited energy.

The flight finally landed and Willow was practically jumping up and down as she waited for their friends to appear. The passengers were coming out of the gate in large groups and they spotted Dawn first, the taller girl in the lead. Giles and Buffy were behind her. Dawn spotted them and started working her way through the crowds towards them.

"Willow!" She hugged the witch happily, moving to hug Xander as Buffy and Giles joined them. The Slayer hugged her best friends, stepping back as the rest of their group made it to them.

Willow was looking around, trying to find Tara. She felt arms slide around her waist and she spun around quickly, hugging Tara tightly. "Oh God, I missed you."

The blonde squeezed her back. "I missed you too, sweetie." They kissed deeply for several brief moments and pulled back and faced the others, holding hands.

"That's it?" Dawn asked incredulously. "No public mauling?"

Tara blushed and Willow rolled her eyes. "We can have _some_ self control," the redhead commented, squeezing her lover's hand.

Buffy's eyebrows rose, surprised. "Sure, guys," she said doubtfully. "Well, let's get our luggage and we can rent a van and go check out our new castle."

Giles spoke up. "I'll get the van if you could retrieve my bag off the luggage carousel."

Buffy nodded. "Not a problem. I'll grab it." He went to a counter on the other side of the room while the rest went to collect their luggage.

They loaded up in the van and Xander went to get his bike from short term parking. He smirked at Willow as he put the helmet on his head, flipping up the face shield. "You guys just follow me and we'll be home soon. It'll probably take us about two hours or so to get back up there. It's a little out of the way."

The slayers piled into the van, Buffy sitting in the front with Giles, while Dawn and Faith sat with Willow and Tara in the first row of seats. Willow kept hold of her lover's hand, holding it tightly in her lap, her fingers running absently over her skin. Tara put her other hand over the one Willow was holding, leaning her head against the redhead's shoulder.

"How was your flight?" Willow asked quietly, her voice automatically low in the dark interior of the van and inaudible to anyone but Tara in the murmur of the other girls talking quietly.

Tara yawned as she answered. "Long, but no turbulence and no one lost their bags so, all in all, not bad."

Willow smiled, squeezing her lover's hand happily, overjoyed to have her fiancée back with her. "You sleepy, baby?"

"Just a little jetlagged, the time difference is killer."

"Well, our room is all made up and everything so you can go straight to bed if you want. The beds just got here yesterday, but we didn't get sheets for them until today so the only ones that are made up are the ones me and Xander have been using."

Tara smiled against her lover's shoulder. "I'll be fine. I want to wait for you. I want to hear all about what you and Xander have been up to. Don't think I didn't notice the motorcycle and that look he gave you when we were leaving."

Willow squeezed her hand, opening her mouth to explain. "I…we…he's really a good driver."

Tara hushed her. "I trust you, baby. I know Xander would never hurt you. Please just tell me you were wearing a helmet."

"Of course I was. We were very careful and cautious and safe and all of those good things." Willow rushed to assure her. "You're taking this much better than we expected. Xander was all concerned you were going to kill him."

Tara turned her head to look up at Willow, amused. "Why would I kill him? He doesn't trust me? I'm very level headed."

Willow smiled down at her, suddenly distracted by the curl at the corner of Tara's mouth and she unconsciously licked her lips. "Oh I know, he was just freaked because of the bike thing and you were teasing him about keeping his hands to himself and then we slept together and…" She noticed the stunned look on her lover's face and she realized what she'd said, hastening to clarify her statement. "We slept in the same bed. We fell asleep watching a movie on the computer. That's all. I didn't mean _sleep together_, sleep together, just sleeping."

The blonde's eyebrow arched. "Uh huh," she said flatly, biting back a smile.

"Oh jeez, I told him I'd talk to you and I just screwed the whole thing up." Willow groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

"Was it in our bed?" Tara asked, smiling to herself at her lover's anxiousness.

Willow shook her head, looking back up at her. "No, it was his bed."

Tara touched Willow's face with her free hand, sliding a bit closer to her on the seat, pressing Willow back against the wall of the van. "Good. I want to be the only person in your bed," she whispered into her lover's ear and she could feel Willow swallow thickly. The blonde kissed her passionately in the dark van, Tara's hand curling quickly into her lover's hair.

Kennedy was sitting in the back row of seats on the opposite side of the van, as far from the pair of witches as she could get, looking firmly out the window into the darkness. She felt Satsu touch her hand and turned to look at her, keeping her eyes down until she knew she wouldn't see anything that might be going on in the front seat.

"Hey. What do you think about all this? It should be cool to live in a castle right?" Satsu asked quietly, pushing her short hair out of her face with one hand.

The long-haired slayer nodded. "Yeah. It should be pretty cool. I've never been to Scotland before."

"Well, when we get to the castle, do you maybe want to bunk together? Mr. Giles was saying that we should only have to have two to a room, and since the other girls aren't coming back till the weekend, we'll have first choice." She glanced toward the front of the van. "We could get one far away from Buffy…and the others."

Kennedy looked carefully at the Asian girl for a long moment. "Yeah, that sounds great actually. I didn't know you had a reason for avoiding our fearless leader though." She paused. "You always seemed to look up to her a lot. You were always asking questions and being helpful and…oh…." Her voice trailed off. "Buffy?"

The other girl nodded miserably and Kennedy slung an arm around her shoulders. "Looks like we both have reasons not to be neighbors with the boss and her group. We'll find something out of their way."

They got to the castle after one, unloading their bags and parking the van off to the side of the driveway. Xander led them inside, pointing out the way to the kitchen. "There are twelve rooms on this floor, more upstairs. On the second floor, everything but the suite in the left wing is open. The third floor is open also, there's a suite up there in the right wing. We were thinking that we'd offer that one to you guys, there's a private living room and each room has a private bathroom. That would give you some space to get away from the new girls." He glanced around. "You're free to choose any rooms you want though."

"We can finish the complete tour in the morning," Buffy said. "For now let's just go to bed." She pointed to Xander's duffle bag. "Grab a set of sheets on your way up, the beds are all stripped."

The slayers scattered, heading upstairs. The Scoobies lingered in the front hall. Willow looked at Giles and Faith. "We didn't know where you guys would want to sleep, but you both have full beds. One of them is set up in our suite, but we can move it if you want. The other one is in the room next door to our suite."

Faith glanced at Giles. "If it doesn't freak out the old timer to share a living room with you guys, I'd prefer to sleep somewhere that won't have a library in it." She grinned and waved as she headed up the stairs. The rest grinned up after her, collecting the last of the sheets from the duffel bag as they followed her.

"It's kind of bare in here, but we all have beds and that will do for now," Willow apologized.

Buffy grinned. "No problem, Will. Thank you guys for helping set all of this up for us." She stretched, dropping her bags on the floor. "Does it matter who has which rooms?"

Willow shook her head. "Ours and Xander's are these two on the right, everything else is open."

Buffy chose the one in the middle, Dawn and Giles taking the two opposite Willow and Xander's rooms. They dropped their bags into their rooms, each poking their heads out to say good night before retreating back to go to bed.

Willow helped Tara find her toothbrush in the piles of bags while Tara searched for the rest of their towels. Tara had had to pack the rest of Willow's things with hers and they were mixed up. The blonde found their towels and they started setting up their bathroom, putting their toothbrushes and shampoo away neatly.

They didn't have a dresser, but Tara hung their clothes in the closet and set up a laundry hamper in the bathroom, cleaning up Willow's dirty clothes from the last few days off of the floor with an affectionate smile.

Willow pulled on her hand as she was straightening up, turning her lover to face her. "Baby, enough cleaning. Sorry about those clothes, I meant to pick them up before you got here, but we can work on it some more in the morning."

Tara smirked at her. "You have something else in mind to do tonight?"

Willow smiled, pulling her closer and kissing her deeply. "We kept a lid on it at the airport and in the van, but enough is enough. I need you." She kissed her again. "Now would be good." Her voice was a groan, her mouth moving against her lover's throat. The blonde whimpered, pulling Willow's face back with her hands to kiss her again, pushing them off of the counter in the bathroom and moving them toward the bed.

They collapsed into it, Willow kicking their bags off the bed as she pulled Tara on top of her. Abruptly the blonde broke away, rolling off of her lover and kneeling among the bags on the floor. Willow sat up onto her elbows, out of breath and confused. "Baby, what's wrong? Why…?" She was breathing hard. "Why'd we…did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Tara looked up at her quickly, shaking her head. "No, sweetie, of course you didn't. I just…" She found what she was looking for and climbed back onto the bed, holding something behind her back. "Close your eyes, just for a minute." Willow did so, still confused. She realized what was going on when she felt Tara slide a ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

She opened her eyes in a rush, staring at her ring for a moment before throwing her arms around her lover, pushing them back on the bed. They kissed and Tara giggled. "Does this mean you like it?" she asked, kissing her again. The ring was white gold with small sapphires running down the band on either side of the central diamond.

Willow nodded, not eager to separate her mouth from Tara's. "I love it, baby. I love you so much." The words were scattered in between kisses. She moved her mouth down her lover's neck, smiling against her skin as she felt the blonde tremble underneath her.

Tara managed to whimper a spell, turning the lights off in their room and leaving them alone together in the dark.


	13. Chapter 12

Willow snuggled closer to her lover as she woke up, happy to be reunited with her. Tara smiled as she squeezed the redhead, an arm around her waist pulling her closer. "I missed you, baby," she said sleepily.

Willow smiled. "I got that last night." Her smile slid into a smirk. "Several times."

Tara turned her head to kiss her, breaking away slowly. "I seem to remember something similar."

Willow glanced at the door as they started to hear people moving around. "I guess we should help. We need to get some more furniture, clean the basement, move the weapons, show the slayers around…" Tara broke her list with a kiss. Willow took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "We need to add more of that to the list." The blonde leaned up and kissed her again. "That's on the list for sure. Just for me though; no one else gets the smooches."

Tara smiled, pecking her on the nose. "Think of all the places there are to sneak off around this place."

Willow grinned widely. "You're a vixen."

"What can I say? You bring it out of me."

The redhead leaned her forehead against her lover. "Lucky me." Tara kissed her deeply, sliding her hand deep into her lover's red hair. Willow gasped for air as they broke apart. "We have to help Buffy. We should stop this."

Tara pulled back, pouting at her. "If we have to, I guess we should stop." She smirked. "We should take a shower though."

Willow grinned. "Vixen."

They made it out to the living room before Xander and Dawn had made it up, but Buffy and Giles' rooms were both open. Willow pointed out rooms and directions to her lover as they walked downstairs to the kitchen, holding hands. Tara's fingers couldn't stop playing with Willow's new ring as they walked, and Willow's descriptions were frequently paused for giddy giggles.

The Slayer and Watcher were seated at the table in the kitchen, reading over paperwork. The witches joined them, pouring bowls of cereal for themselves.

"Everything okay, Buffy?" Tara asked, looking over at the papers they were reading.

Giles nodded. "We're just finalizing the sale of the castle. Simply bureaucratic dealings."

Buffy glanced up at them with a smile. "Apparently, since I'm the boss of this whole little deal my name has to be on all this paperwork," she commented and gestured at the piles of folders and papers covering the table in front of her.

Willow grinned. "That actually answers a question I was wondering about. Xander and I weren't sure if we were going to need fake identities or anything like that, but I guess if we're buying the castle in your name…"

Buffy shrugged, looking at Giles. "I didn't think about that. Are we too exposed to use our own names?"

Her Watcher frowned. "You're the only one who is really exposed Buffy, the rest of us just work for you. And I fear the consequences of hiding you away much more than I fear the consequences of exposure. If the other girls don't know who you are, they won't follow you. The name Buffy Summers is quite well known in the world that we operate in. I don't think we need fear what the world at large will think of us yet. I don't think we've gotten that much exposure. It will only get worse the longer we wait to train the new girls."

She nodded, stepping back from the table. "Let's get to work then." She looked around for a moment, at a loss. "Will, what is there for me to do?" she asked, looking to where Willow was sitting at the table.

The redhead laughed. "I can show you where the weapons are in the cellar and you and Xander can start moving them into the basement. That's the only room in the castle we didn't clean. You'll have to wake him up though, he was still asleep when we came down."

Buffy grinned, nodding as she glanced around. "You guys did a great job. It's amazing you did all this without magic." She stopped talking as she noticed Willow's guilty look. "You used magic?"

Tara turned from her cereal to look at her lover in surprise, and Giles sat down on the edge of the table. Willow glanced between the three of them. "It was just part of the third floor, and to move our beds."

"You moved all of these beds with magic? Willow!" Buffy asked, trying to figure out how many beds were in the castle.

"No! Not all of them, just mine and Xander's. We didn't know the moving guys were coming and we hadn't finished cleaning the top floor so I did it magically so we wouldn't have to clean around the beds later. I had it under control the whole time. It just took a minute, I swear."

Giles cleared his throat. "Of course we believe you, and I should have told you that the moving men were coming. I'm sorry, Willow. Thank you for handling all of this so smoothly."

She smiled cautiously, relieved no one was mad at her. "Thanks, Giles. It's been fun. We've been riding Xander's motorcycle anytime we had free time. It's really fun."

Tara grimaced, but Giles looked intrigued. "I couldn't see it well in the dark last night. I'd like to look at it today if you think Xander wouldn't mind."

"Wouldn't mind what?" the one eyed man asked as he came into the kitchen, Dawn a few steps behind him.

"Giles wants to ride your bike," Willow said, grinning.

The carpenter shrugged. "Sure thing, Giles." He paused. "Let's just keep the bike a Scooby thing though."

Buffy smirked. "So none of the new girls get to ride it?" she asked with a laugh.

Giles and Xander choked simultaneously, the older man stumbling back from the table. Xander's eye was open wide, his hands coming up to cover his mouth. Dawn howled with laughter, collapsing into a chair next to the witches.

They gradually realized that they weren't alone, a black girl was standing uncertainly in the doorway, looking strangely at her leaders. Buffy sat back in her seat, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Is there something we can do for you, Renee? It is Renee, right?"

The girl nodded. "I was just coming to see if there was anything we should be doing?" She glanced around the room, her eyes lingering on a furiously blushing Xander. She snapped her gaze back to Buffy. "Several of us are awake and we weren't sure if there was something we were supposed to be doing."

The Slayer shrugged. "We'll do the tour after everyone is awake, but we were just going down to the cellar to move some racks of weapons up to the training room. Anyone who wants to is free to help us, but you're pretty much free until lunch, I guess. You have all been working really hard these last few months, you deserve as much downtime as any of us."

Renee nodded, shrugging. "That's not what Faith would say," she commented quietly.

Buffy grinned at her. "That might not be what she would say now, but not too long ago she'd have been knocking off patrol to go dancing. You are all doing fine, it's okay to take a break while we have the time to spare."

The girl nodded again. "I'd like to help if I can." She glanced around the room again, meeting Xander's eye as he stepped forward.

"That would be great, Renee. I'm heading down to the cellar to start taking the racks down. If you wouldn't mind lending me some of that slayer strength, I'd really appreciate it," Xander offered, stealing a large spoonful of Willow's cereal as he spoke.

She nodded shyly, glancing at Buffy. The Slayer nodded back, standing up. "I'll join you. Will, how are we on defenses here?"

"I put a basic protection spell up yesterday, but there's a lot I can do to beef it up once I get some books. There's a couple of incantations I can't remember," she answered, shooting a look at Xander as he dropped the spoon back in her bowl.

Giles stepped forward. "That will be my chore for the day. I'll go to London and retrieve as many resources from the remnants of the Council building as I can. I might be gone overnight, I'm not sure how much there will be for me to go through." He glanced around. "Will you all be alright here with no transportation?"

Xander sighed, pulling the keys to his bike out of his pocket. "Take the motorcycle, Giles. Leave the van with us. We'll need it more than you will."

Renee looked up at Xander in surprise. "You have a motorcycle?" she asked, curious. The girls at the table grinned to themselves, Xander just shrugging with a nod.

He tossed the keys across the room to the Watcher, Giles catching them with a grin. "I guess I'll be off then. Good luck with everything here." Xander followed him out, talking anxiously.

Renee turned to follow them with her head and Buffy walked over to her. "I'm sure he'll join us after he sees his bike is safe with Giles. We can head down to the cellar if you're serious about wanting to help."

The two slayers left, leaving the witches and Dawn sitting at the table. "So what are you doing today, Dawnie?" Tara asked as they resumed eating their breakfast.

The younger girl shrugged, pouring herself some cereal. "Nothing really planned except unpacking. What are you two doing?"

Tara smiled over at Willow, shrugging. "Will? What do you need us to do?"

The redhead took a deep breath, trying to organize her mental list. "Well…we can't work on the defenses for the castle until Giles gets back from London. We can give the slayers a hand cleaning the basement. Then, after lunch, we can give everybody the tour." She glanced at them. "How does that sound?"

Dawn nodded, grinning. "Sounds as good as registering for school."

Tara shot her a look. "We can do that tomorrow." Dawn opened her mouth to protest, but Tara interrupted before she could. "You promised, Dawnie." She glanced at Willow. "Of course, Willow and I could get licensed to home school you," she offered, looking back at Dawn.

The redhead looked up from her cereal, trying to read her young friend's expression. "It was just an idea we wanted to bring up with you. Nothing's done yet, but if you decided that it's something you wanted to try, we'll talk to Buffy about it."

Dawn smiled at them. "Thank you guys, both of you, so much for that." She looked seriously at the two of them. "I really appreciate you looking out for me and helping, but you two are going to be way too busy to have time to do that."

Tara reached across the table to touch the younger girl's hand. "Dawnie, we'll never stop looking out for you. You understand that, right?" Dawn nodded slowly.

"She's right," Willow chimed in. "And if we're ever so busy that we're not looking out for you, you just have to grab us and tell us, okay?" She looked over at Tara. "It'll probably be me before it's Tara missing out on stuff and being all forgetful. Both of you just have to tell me and I'll do what I have to do to fix it."

Dawn smiled at the witch. "I know that Willow, but you don't owe me anything. You're more important to the slayers than I am."

Willow frowned at her. "Dawnie, no! Absolutely not. Buffy loves you, you know that."

The other girl shook her head. "I do know that, I just meant the big picture stuff."

Tara interjected. "You are Buffy's big picture, Dawnie. She'd do anything to protect you."

Dawn sighed. "I know that. I understand all of that. I just meant…you two have the magical talents, you help with the Scoobies. I just go to high school and help with the research."

Tara smiled sadly. "Any of us would happily switch places with you, sweetie."

Willow nodded. "Even Buffy, and we went to high school on the Hellmouth." She looked at the young girl seriously. "We don't want you to feel like you're not involved in the things that we're doing. You're the reason Buffy is doing this. She just wants the best for you." She glanced at Tara, flicking her gaze back to Dawn. "And honestly Dawnie, the best for you is probably being away from us, from the slayers."

Dawn shook her head. "You know I'm not going anywhere." Her voice was flat, serious.

Tara nodded. "We know that, sweetie. We do. I think we're just trying to reiterate that we don't blame you if you decide to leave. We love you no matter what you want to do."

Dawn shot the two witches a look. "I'm going to have to register for school today just to convince everyone that I'm not dying to get away from you all." Her frustration with the topic was obvious.

Willow and Tara exchanged glances. "Okay Dawnie, we'll stop it. We're glad you want to stay with us. We just worry about you," the blonde spoke reassuringly.

Dawn rolled her eyes, smiling at them. "I understand that, but I'm not a kid anymore. You guys don't have to protect me all the time." Her face grew serious. "Actually, I'm getting pretty good at taking care of myself." Her eyes slid closed and the two witches stared as the milk jug floated slowly across the room, Dawn catching it as it dipped unsteadily.

Willow's jaw dropped. "Buffy is going to kill me. Dawnie, how long have you been practicing that? What else have you been doing?" she asked, her voice rising. Tara reached over and touched the redhead's hand, calming her down gently. Willow took a deep breath and glanced at her lover before looking back at Dawn.

The younger girl looked uneasily at the two witches. "I've only been practicing the last few months." Willow dropped her head into her hand, sighing. "I've been careful, I swear. I've only been practicing moving things mostly, nothing big." She looked seriously at Willow. "I didn't want to tell you in case it was too much for you."

Tara glanced carefully between both girls. "Willow's not mad at you, sweetie. We're just surprised you didn't tell anyone. Practicing magic can be dangerous." She saw the frustration coming back into her friend's face and continued quickly. "We know you can take care of yourself, we just want you to be careful." She glanced at Willow, squeezing her lover's hand. "You've seen what magic can do to good people when it gets out of control."

The redhead glanced at the table, letting her breath out slowly. Dawn nodded, looking sadly at Willow. "I know." Her voice was serious. "I remember. That's why I want you guys to know what I was doing. You can help me."

Willow nodded. "We will, if Buffy doesn't murder me for letting this happen." Dawn opened her mouth to object, but the witch shook her head. "Dawnie, Buffy's been trying to keep you away from our life as much as she can. The magic is part of that. She knows how dangerous it is."

"But she knows how much it can help too," Dawn objected. "And there's nothing she can do to stop me anymore. She'd be happier knowing you'll be helping me." She looked pleadingly at the two women sitting across from her.

Willow sighed and nodded, glancing at Tara. "Of course we're going to help you Dawnie. I was just surprised. I'm sure you can understand that." She glanced pointedly at the milk jug. "You have to promise to tell Buffy though. I won't hide this from her."

"And keep your grades up," Tara added, shooting a look at Dawn. The younger girl nodded, rolling her eyes at the blonde witch. "I'm serious Dawnie, keep your grades above C's or we'll stop the training."

Dawn nodded again. "I'll do my best. Willow, you might have to tutor me in magic _and_ school, but I'll do my best."

Willow smirked at her, dropping her head onto Tara's shoulder. "Is it too early to go back to bed? I don't know if I can face anymore revelations today." She looked up at her lover. "You're not pregnant or anything, right?"

Tara smiled at her, amused. "If I am, the Powers that Be have some explaining to do."

Willow blinked. "So, that's a no right?"

"Yes baby, that's a no." Tara pressed a kiss to her lover's forehead affectionately.

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I even want to imagine how you could get pregnant. I mean, you were dead…"

The blonde blinked. "Um, yeah, me neither. Let's talk about something else."

Willow sat up straight, finishing her cereal. "We should go help Buffy and Xander with the training space in the basement."

They worked diligently for the rest of the day, Giles calling around dinner time to tell them that he'd be back the next night. After Buffy got off the phone, the group decided to call it a night, heading back upstairs with the slayers that had come down to help them. Xander and Tara cooperated cooking dinner for the group, the girls scattering back to their rooms to eat while they unpacked. The Scoobies stayed at the table in the kitchen, talking quietly among themselves.

Dawn waited until they all climbed the stairs to their rooms before she pulled her sister to the side. Willow and Tara knew what was going on and offered to help Xander unpack, anxious to give the sisters privacy Tara thoughtfully closed the bedroom door behind them, thankful the thick wood would block a lot of the sounds.

None of them had many things, all of their belongings were buried in the remnants of Sunnydale, so Willow sat down on the edge of the bed and started making a list of things they needed to replace. Tara set herself to refolding Xander's shirts, shooting looks at him as she did so. "Add an iron to the list please, baby. Xander is going to need it."

Willow smirked at her best friend as she wrote. "Got it. Iron, bookcases, dressers, hangers, throw rugs, alarm clocks. Anything I'm forgetting?"

Xander frowned thoughtfully at his clothes, pulling the fabric of one of the shirts tight to try and force the wrinkles out. "They're not that bad, Tara. I've been dressing myself for years and Anya never…" His voice trailed off and Willow looked up from her list to watch him carefully. He blinked and cleared his throat. "I'll, um, I'll work on it."

Tara smiled softly at him, apologetic, as he glanced at her, but kindly didn't say anything else.

Willow let the moment pass, speaking up to break the silence. "I think I'm going to get my hair cut next time we go into town." She looked between them. "What do you guys think?"

Tara studied her speculatively. "How short are we talking?"

The redhead smiled reassuringly. "Just shoulder length, baby. Nothing drastic."

Her lover finished folding the shirt she was holding and reached over to touch her hair, putting her fingers at Willow's shoulders. "About here?" The redhead nodded and Tara smoothed her fingers through the hair. "I think it would look great."

Xander grinned at the pair. "But we all know how completely whipped Willow is. You could make her shave her head if you wanted."

Tara and Willow both turned to shoot looks at him. "She couldn't get me to shave my head," Willow protested, turning to look back at Tara. "You don't want me to shave my head, do you?" she asked, just to make sure.

Tara smiled crookedly and hugged Willow, the seated girl's face pressing into her stomach. "Of course I don't, sweetie. You know how much I love your beautiful hair." She pulled back and shot another look at Xander. "And if I ever tell you to shave it off for some reason, I need you to ignore me."

Willow smiled and nodded. "Will do. I'm cutting my hair to avoid inadvertently reverting to high school, not make some kind of extreme lesbian statement."

Tara frowned. "You looked cute in high school, baby. I've seen pictures."

"You're much hotter now though, Will," Xander added, trying to be helpful. Tara arched an eyebrow at him, smirking. "What I mean to say is that you're way too hot to accidentally go back to looking like you did in high school." He glanced at Tara, adding, "Which was cute." The blonde witch was still smirking at him, and he continued. "Let's just keep you away from dressing like your alter ego…that would be weird."

Willow shuddered at the thought. "I know I've changed my style a lot since high school, but if I ever dress like that you can go ahead and stake me, because I've obviously been turned."

Tara shook her head. "I'm not really sure what you two are talking about. Is this another story about how Xander kissed you one time and everyone neglected to mention it to me?"

Xander grinned, laughing. "No, there aren't any more kissing-Willow stories. Will never told you about her vampire alter ego from the alternate dimension?" Tara just looked more confused and Xander continued. "When Anya was a vengeance demon, she granted a wish that showed what would have happened if Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. In the alternate world, me and Will were both vamps. Anyways, the Giles there managed to break her spell and everything went back to normal."

"Until Anya and I accidentally brought my vampire self to Sunnydale a few weeks later," Willow said, picking up the explanation. She twitched again. "It was horrible, she was skanky and wore this leather corset thing and these tight leather pants. She kept hitting on me, touching me, and she…she licked my neck and grabbed my butt."

Tara opened her mouth to respond to that, stopped by Willow's look. Tara smirked, pursing her lips. "It sounds horrible, sweetie." Her mirth was barely restrained. "Did you stake her?" Part of her mind recoiled from the idea of killing anything that had once been her precious Willow.

Willow shook her head. "We talked about it, but in the end we sent her back to her world. Haven't seen her since."

Tara smirked. "You big softy." She pressed a kiss gently on the top of her lover's head, smiling as the redhead leaned into her, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist.

A knock on the door separated them, the witches exchanging glances as Willow stood up from the bed. Buffy looked serious, but not angry, as Xander opened the door. "Thanks for the privacy, you guys can stop hiding now."

Xander looked at the girls, surprised. "We were hiding?"

"Dawn's been practicing magic," Willow said simply.

Xander nodded. "Oh…hence the hiding." He looked at the sisters. "But it's good now?"

Buffy nodded. "We've talked it out and she's going to train properly with Will and Tara." The Slayer yawned, rubbing idly at her temples. "I'm going to bed now…I can't do anything else today, my head might explode."

They all called good night to the Slayer, everyone standing in the living room for a moment. "Add couch to the list, Will. We need something to sit on in here," Xander requested, glancing around the room. She did so, Tara helpfully offering her back as a place to bear down on.

"This should give us something to do tomorrow," Willow commented, yawning herself as she waved the list in her hand. "I think I'm calling it a night."

Tara slid an arm around her lover's waist. "I'm with her." She pecked Dawn on the cheek. "We'll talk about your education tomorrow, magical and otherwise." The younger girl nodded, grimacing, and they all went into their rooms.

Willow was brushing her teeth as Tara came into their bathroom, putting toothpaste on her own brush. "You know, I didn't say anything in front of Xander, but that vampire's outfit sounds…interesting," she commented, smiling in the mirror at Willow.

The redhead glanced down at herself doubtfully. "You think?"

Tara stepped behind her, putting her toothbrush down on the edge of the sink before wrapping her arms around her lover's waist, pulling her back into herself. "Definitely." Her voice was low and her breath raised goose bumps on Willow's arms. She kissed the redhead's neck gently. "But I think you're gorgeous in everything you wear."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Have you really looked at those pictures of me in high school? Did you ever see one of me with any of those hats I used to have? Or the jumpers? The brightly colored tights? The inexplicably colorful sweaters? The overalls? Thankfully, they were all destroyed and now only exist as ashes in a crater."

Tara pouted playfully. "Don't forget that you still owned some of those sweaters and hats in college, my love. You were a little cutie, baby. High school me would have been all over you." She paused. "Actually, probably not. I'd have had a giant crush on you, but I'd never have made a move."

Willow grinned into the mirror. "You're a sucker for fuzzy sweaters and overalls? I'd never have guessed."

Tara grinned back. "If the right girl's wearing them, fuzzy sweaters are a big turn on. And don't get me started on overalls." She fanned herself with one hand, keeping the other tight around Willow's waist. The redhead snorted her laughter as she leaned over to rinse her mouth and her toothbrush. "It's all about mystery, baby. I know what's hiding under the fuzzy sweaters and overalls. I'll take off whatever I have to take off to get to it."

Willow blushed, handing Tara her toothbrush. "You'd have loved my Halloween costumes. I went as a bed sheet ghost once. So mysterious," she commented sarcastically.

Tara grinned around her toothbrush. "Yeah, Buffy told me about the ghost…and what you were wearing under that sheet." The redhead brushed brighter and Tara laughed. "Where are the pictures of that night, that's what I want to know."

"Also destroyed," Willow said cheerfully.

Tara shook her head, laughing. "But by you, or by the Hellmouth?"

"You'll never know." Willow turned in Tara's grasp to wrap her arms around the blonde's waist. "Is there something behind this subject?" she asked curiously, pressing kisses along her neck. "Do you want me to change my style?"

Tara shook her head, stepping them back carefully to the sink to rinse her mouth and toothbrush. "No, sweetie. Anything you want to wear is fine with me. I was just teasing you." She could feel Willow bracing herself to ask another question, taking a deep breath and hiding her face in Tara's shoulder, and she cut her off. "If you dare ask me if I'm still attracted to you, I'm going to be upset."

Willow didn't respond, and she pulled back, dropping her toothbrush in the sink. "Oh my God, you were! You were actually going to ask me that!" The redhead looked at her sheepishly and Tara's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Baby, Willow, what am I doing that could possibly make you think that? I barely take my eyes off you." She squeezed her gently around the waist. "Or my hands." She smiled crookedly. "I thought we had covered this with my confessing that I wanted you the first second I ever saw you."

Willow nodded, meeting Tara's eyes briefly before she glanced away. "I know. I'm being stupid. I just…we were talking about me in high school and how much I've changed since then, and it occurred to me that I changed in the year you were…gone, and maybe you didn't want me like you used to. I mean, I know that we've been pretty much in constant physical contact since you came back, but we still haven't really talked about…and maybe you haven't really thought about what I…" Her voice trailed off at the look on Tara's face and she forced herself to stop talking.

Tara swallowed thickly, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. "Baby, are we still talking about clothes, or do you mean…Kennedy?"

Willow nodded miserably, looking down at the floor. Tara closed her eyes and felt the tears escape, sliding down each cheek silently. She opened them quickly, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Willow heard the sudden sniffling and looked up immediately, her left hand coming up to wipe the tears away. Tara caught it with her left hand and pulled them both down.

"Willow, look at our hands. What do you see?" The blonde's voice was serious.

The witch swallowed, feeling tears rise in her own eyes. "Our engagement rings." She said it quietly, squeezing Tara's fingers with her own.

"Exactly. Willow, we're getting married. Why would I have said yes if I didn't mean it?" she said reassuringly, threading their fingers together.

The redhead shook her head, still upset. "But it was all so fast, and we've never talked about the year you were gone. I…I slept with Kennedy, Tara. I never stopped loving you for a second, but I was still with her, still went to bed with her, let her…"

The blonde broke her babble with a kiss, immediately pressing into Willow's open mouth. Her lover responded instantly, sliding her free hand into Tara's hair. Tara broke away slowly a few minutes later, pressing her forehead against Willow's.

"I never wanted you to be miserable, baby. I'm glad Kennedy…" She choked up, unable to finish the sentence. "You deserve so much love, Willow. I would never blame you for moving on with your life. I was dead; I wasn't part of your life anymore. You don't have to apologize for sleeping with your girlfriend." She pulled back to look Willow in the eyes, smiling gently. "I said it the first night I got back, and I'll say it again, you have nothing to apologize to me for. All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy, with Oz, with Kennedy, with whoever you want. If that's me, then I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

Willow nodded rapidly, tears running down her face. "It's always you. It'll always be you."

Tara gently kissed each cheek, tasting her lover's tears on her lips. "I know that, sweetie. I just wish I could make you realize that I'm not going anywhere unless you send me away." She squeezed her hand. "I couldn't exactly bring myself to watch, but I know what went on between you and Kennedy. You don't owe me any explanations."

"So you don't hate me for sleeping with someone else?" Willow asked for reassurance again.

Tara pulled her into a hug, squeezing their joined hands in between their bodies. "No, sweetie. I'll never hate you for moving on with your life. I know it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't died, and now I'm back. That's all I need to know."

She kissed Willow deeply again, supporting her as she felt her lover's knees weaken. "Baby, you okay?" she worried as she broke the kiss, Willow's head dropping forward onto her shoulder as the redhead panted for breath.

Willow nodded, smiling against her lover's shoulder. "Never better. Kissing Kennedy never felt like _that_."

Tara smiled, pulling the redhead up tighter against her body. "Good to know. Can you stand up or do you need help to bed?" Her voice was amused, and Willow nuzzled her face in closer to Tara's neck, making small noises. Tara froze in surprise as she felt them lift off the floor, drifting out of the bathroom, the blonde flicking the light switch as they floated back into the bedroom. "I didn't know you could still do this. I figured it was some effect of the musical demon guy."

Willow looked up with a smirk. "Oh it was, mostly. I made sure to figure out how it worked after, though. It made undressing you easier. That qualifies it as need-to-know spellage for me."

Tara rolled her eyes, blushing. "Do you ever have trouble undressing me? I've never noticed anything."

The redhead waggled her eyebrows. "Haven't hit any snags I can't overcome." She leaned in close again, nipping at Tara's neck.

The blonde shuddered against her. "I'll say you haven't, baby. Now, if we can get you past all these doubts you seem to have about me, we'll be doing great."

Willow pulled back, frowning up at her as the spell dropped them slowly onto the bed. "I don't doubt you. Part of me is just still trying to grasp that you're back with me."

Tara kissed her slowly, pulling her closer. "I'm always with you, baby. I always will be. I can understand you being hesitant sweetie, but I'm not going anywhere. Not this time." She could still see the underlying fear that had brought this whole subject up lingering in Willow's green eyes. "Baby, I love you, and we're getting married. Nothing will change either of those two things unless you want to change them. And even you couldn't change me being in love with you." She took a deep breath, hesitating before she spoke. "We can wait to get married if you're not sure…"

Willow shook her head frantically. "I can't say anything right anymore." She groaned. "This isn't about getting married…at least, not about me wanting to get married. I guess I just wanted to know that you still wanted me, even knowing what I did with Kennedy."

Tara smiled crookedly at her, squeezing her left hand. "Nothing in the world could keep me from wanting you, Willow." She shook her head, unbelieving. "The constant contact and all the sex didn't clue you in?" Willow blushed, ducking her head, and Tara laughed. "Baby, my fingers itch when I'm not touching you, I can't think straight if I can't see you. Xander says that you're whipped, but he has no idea how completely you own me." Her head dropped to lean against Willow's shoulder. "Do you get what I'm saying or do I need to keep going?"

Willow groaned, pulling her lover down on top of her. "You can just show me," she breathed into the other witch's mouth before she _kissed her._


	14. Chapter 13

The redhead groaned as she rolled over the next morning. "I don't think I can get out of bed. I'm not sure my legs work anymore."

Tara smirked to herself. "Well, if you're stuck, you're stuck. We'll just have to find some way to entertain ourselves in bed all day." Willow moved slowly to drop her head gently onto Tara's stomach, the blonde's fingers immediately sliding into her lover's hair.

Willow blinked up at her in disbelief. "You're still…after all that? We barely even slept."

Tara smirked. "I'll never get enough of you, baby. I missed you every second I was in heaven. It might even be worse there because everyone is so…quiet about it. No one will admit to it." She stretched. "As far as you're concerned, I'm totally up for anything you want to do, anytime."

Willow grinned. "So you didn't meet any hot angels there or anything?"

Tara rolled her eyes. "Everyone pretty much left me alone after they figured out that they could only ever have a tiny bit of my attention. I was trying to keep my eyes on you and the others most of the time."

Willow picked up her lover's free hand, pressing a kiss to the inside of her palm. "What was all that talk about moving on about if you spent your entire afterlife watching over me?"

The blonde just grinned. "I was in heaven Will, there's no further degree of moving on than that. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I died, and I still expect you to move on with your life. My afterlife wasn't what we were discussing."

The redhead played idly with Tara's fingers as she spoke, her voice hesitant. "I…I can't promise that I won't lose it again, if you were to…" She couldn't finish, her mind repelling the thought.

"Hey. Look at me," Tara said gently, using her grip on her lover's hair to turn her head slowly. "You wouldn't lose it. You're stronger now."

"I can't lose you. Not like that. Not again," Willow whispered, her mind flashing back to watching the bullet fly through her lover's chest, the blood splattering across her shirt. She sat up slowly, looking down at Tara. "There's not even a scar is there?" The blonde shook her head, taking Willow's hand and placing it gently on the spot. "On your back?" Tara wordlessly rolled over, letting the sheet slip down her back. Willow leaned over and kissed her unblemished shoulder, leaning her head against it for a moment.

Tara flipped back onto her back and opened her arms. "Come here, sweetie." Willow slipped under the sheet with her, resting her head over her lover's heartbeat, the sound comfortingly solid in her ear. "No one is going to shoot me, I promise. We're safe here. Buffy won't let anything happen to me." She smiled against Willow's hair. "I know you asked her to keep an eye on me."

"I'm not going to apologize for it either," Willow said, tightening her arm across Tara's stomach, feeling the warm skin where her head had been resting.

Tara sighed. "I didn't expect you would. What do we have to do to make you feel more comfortable about my safety? And nothing crazy like a bulletproof car."

Willow pouted. "Aww. Bulletproof windows?" she suggested, only partially serious. Tara shook her head minutely, smiling at her.

"How about we practice spells more often now that we're sure that demon isn't going to attack you?" the blonde offered. "I know we're going to be busy helping Dawnie, but I have a lot of work to do to catch up to you." Tara frowned thoughtfully as something occurred to her.

The redhead looked up at her, squeezing her hand to get her attention. "What is it, Tara?"

"I'll need to do some research to make sure, but I think I might know of something that will make you feel better about me staying safe." She tilted her head and kissed Willow's hair. "I'd rather it be a surprise if it turns out that I'm remembering correctly. It's not anything I thought I'd ever be using, so I'm afraid I didn't read as carefully as I normally do."

Her lover pouted. "It's odd that you can't remember something. How come you never thought you'd have to use it? Especially if it has to do with keeping you safe."

Tara blushed lightly, hugging Willow tighter. "It was before I met you and…well, I never expected to be getting married." Her voice was quiet, an old sadness lingering just below the surface.

Willow leaned up on her elbow to look down into her lover's face. "I might have to curse your father if we ever see him again. I hate how he made you feel about yourself." She looked seriously into the blonde's blue eyes. "You're the most amazing, sweetest, most gorgeous woman I've ever met in my life. Anyone who doesn't realize how special you are is an idiot."

Tara shook her head. "I don't think we'll have to worry about running into him here. Plus, he thinks I'm dead." A look crossed her face. "He does know I died, right?"

Willow nodded. "Buffy called him. He came to the funeral, but he wouldn't talk to any of us. Just said…" Her voice trailed off and Tara could feel her lover's anger rising.

"How about we both agree not to put any stock in anything my father said?" the blonde interrupted, sliding her fingers through the other witch's red hair. Willow nodded, still looking miserable, and Tara leaned up to kiss her briefly. "He's not important. You're my family, baby. You, and Dawn, and Buffy, and Xander, and Giles. You're what matters to me. Not him."

"I'm going to marry you," Willow whispered, sounding stunned, a happy smile coming to her face.

Tara smiled back, nodding. "We're getting married." The redhead kissed her again before laying back down next to her, putting her head back down. Tara kept her fingers running through Willow's hair. "How are your legs feeling? You have any mobility back?"

Willow moved slowly, feeling muscles protesting. A groan escaped and Tara laughed gently. Willow pouted up at her. "This is your fault. You did this to me."

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Did you want me to stop? Because you didn't say anything that sounded like that." The amusement was evident in her voice and she laughed again.

The redhead's pout shifted into a sleepy smile as she recalled the night before. "No, never stop." She groaned again, less happily, as she heard her phone beeping in her pants somewhere on the floor. "Except right now, apparently."

"Is that an alarm?" Tara asked, frowning. "Does that mean we have to go somewhere? I don't want to go anywhere. I was making all kinds of plans for today, and all of them involved you and me in here alone. I really can't do what I was planning with any kind of audience," she complained. "I don't think anyone else is up yet anyway. We might as well stay…" She stopped talking as they both heard someone move through the living room. She raised her voice. "I was trying to make a point!"

Their door opened a crack and they could hear Buffy's laughter. "You guys can keep going at it. No one else is up yet. I'm just on my way outside to run. I can't train normally until we get the basement finished." She paused. "Will, could you add a punching bag to that list of yours?"

"Sure thing, Buffy. We'll pick one up when we go out today," Willow assured her, glancing around the room for her pants. Tara just squeezed her tighter, not wanting her to get out of bed. The blonde groaned loudly as they heard another door open.

"Don't worry, it's just Faith. We're leaving now, you two have fun." Buffy laughed as she heard the witch's protest.

They could hear Faith as Buffy shut their door. "Red and her girl are still going at it? I always thought she would be a firecracker if she ever let herself relax. It's always the quiet ones…"

Tara blushed and Willow smirked at her. "She's not wrong, cutie."

The blonde winked up at her. "We could be louder," she suggested playfully, grinning as Willow blushed. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to her lover's forehead. "I'll cool it, I'm sorry."

Willow groaned. "No, baby, I'm sorry. I'm absolutely thrilled that you want me so much, and I want you too…"

Tara cut her off. "I know, sweetie. You have responsibilities. I can't have you all to myself all the time, no matter how much we both want it. I understand, honest Will, I do." She kissed the redhead slowly, drawing it out.

Willow's eyes stayed closed as they slowly parted. "I hate how reasonable you can be sometimes."

"You started it. I was more than content to stay in bed all day, but you've got your schedule to keep." Tara slid her fingers into Willow's hair as she spoke and the redhead dropped onto on her chest suddenly.

"You're not playing fair." Willow groaned, not moving her head. Tara laughed as she stopped her fingers. The redhead whimpered pathetically and the blonde pressed a kiss to her hair.

"You can't have it both ways, sweetie. We have work to do today. As much as you know I want to stay here all day and ravish you, we just can't do it," Tara said reluctantly, trying valiantly to help her lover despite all her desires to the contrary.

Willow rolled onto her back, away from Tara. "I know. I know." She turned her head to meet her lover's eyes. "I wish we could though. I mean, it's not fair. We just got engaged and we were separated for four days." Heat flashed through Tara's blue eyes, and Willow felt her resolve weakening. "We're going to have to take a chaperone into town today or we'll never get out of the van."

Tara grinned and took her hand. "I'll behave." She took a deep breath. "I think I can keep my hands to myself until tonight."

Willow pouted. "I don't like that plan at all. I love your hands. Tara-hands…" She swallowed, glancing at their joined hands. Her voice was quickly losing its resolve, and Tara pressed her advantage, pulling their hands closer to her, the move making Willow roll onto her side, facing her. The blonde moved her free hand gently to Willow's hip. The second her hand touched her lover's skin, the redhead groaned, lunging on top of her.

Tara's hand just tightened on her hip, pulling her body closer. She couldn't resist smiling as she craned up to kiss her.

When the two witches finally made it downstairs to the kitchen they found a few of the slayers seated at the table with Xander and Dawn, eating cereal and pop tarts. Tara dropped her fiancée's hand as they entered and Willow noticed Kennedy seated at the far end of the table. She sighed reluctantly and nodded as they sat down across from each other. Dawn smirked at them, but refrained from commenting, just glancing at her watch cheerfully.

"You guys been waiting long?" Willow asked, shooting a look at the younger girl.

Xander shook his head. "I just got down here a few minutes ago." Tara shot a smirk at her lover, nudging her with a foot. "I figured we could pass the list around and the slayers can add whatever they need us to pick up and then we can go into town and pick it all up while Buffy and Faith oversee finishing up the basement."

"That sounds good. Buffy wanted me to add a punching bag to the list," Willow commented as she pulled it out of her pocket. "You can add any other stuff we need for the training room. You'd know better than I would what we're missing." She finished writing and slid the list to Xander.

"Has anyone heard anything from Giles today?" Tara asked as she pushed the cereal box across to Willow.

Dawn spoke up. "He called earlier. He mailed a bunch of books to us, and he's setting up the council's bank accounts for us to use." She grinned. "And he's going to finalize buying the castle."

"Sounds good. I hope the books get here soon."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Of course, the most exciting part of that for you is the books. Am I going to turn into such a nerd too, studying magic?" She smiled affectionately at the blonde witch.

Tara wrinkled her nose, squinting at the girl. "Anything's possible, Dawnie. I have something specific I'm looking for, and I think the council's books might be able to help."

"Is something wrong? The demon woman is still gone right?" Dawn asked, glancing at Willow. The redhead was talking to Xander, pointing at the list.

Tara smiled reassuringly. "Yes, she's gone. I just have something I need to check up on." Her eyes lingered on the redheaded witch.

"Something for Will?" Dawn guessed, following her friend's gaze.

Tara nodded. "If it works the way I remember, it might make her feel better…about a few things." She tore her gaze from her lover, looking at Dawn with a shrug. "I won't know if I'm remembering it correctly until I can reread the passage."

The list came back up the table and the slayers left to go work in the basement, leaving the Scoobies alone. They climbed into the van, Dawn taking the front seat to leave Willow and Tara the bench seat. They ordered the furniture to be delivered and picked up the rest of the long list, loading it all into the back of the van. They found the local high school and registered Dawn to start the next semester and Willow got her hair cut, swinging her head happily at the lighter weight.

The slayers helped unload, everyone picking up their requests and carrying them back up their rooms. Tara was delighted to find piles of boxes filled with books that had come while they'd been gone and she dove in immediately, searching for a specific book while she unpacked the boxes and organized their contents in neat piles on the floor of the living room.

Willow finished helping Dawn put the groceries away, carrying the rest of the things they'd bought for their suite upstairs with her. She stopped and stared at Tara organizing the books, scanning the titles and singing quietly to herself. Dawn grinned and silently carried her things to her new room, coming back out a few minutes later to gently take stuff out of Willow's hands, snapping her fingers in front of the witch's face.

Tara turned at the noise, smiling as she saw Willow, and Dawn laughed. "You two are too much. If it wasn't so cute, it would be pathetic."

Willow shot her a look which faded into a goofy smile. "You're right, Dawnie. Can you help me with some of this? Tara looks busy with her books."

The younger girl nodded, taking some of the bags from Willow. "She's working on something for you," Dawn said, grinning. "Is something going on?"

Willow shook her head, dropping her bags onto the bed. "She's got something she thinks will help keep her safer." She glanced around the room, avoiding Dawn's eyes. "I've been kind of paranoid about keeping her safe…since…you know…last time."

Dawn touched her shoulder gently. "Nothing's going to happen to Tara, Willow. None of us will let that happen. She's safe." She looked thoughtful. "I wonder what she's working on?"

Willow shrugged, glancing toward the living room. "She said she wanted to surprise me if it worked the way she remembered."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You guys aren't great with keeping secrets."

Willow blushed, grinning at her. "It worked out well for me. I still got the girl."

"As if you could ever lose her. Even when you two broke up, you were still all each other talked about." Dawn laughed.

They finished unpacking and setting up their new purchases, setting up the things they'd gotten for Buffy in her room as well. When they came out Tara was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with her nose in a book. She looked up as they came back in, a smile on her face.

"Find what you were looking for?" Dawn asked as the blonde witch marked her page and stood up, slipping an arm around Willow's waist.

Tara nodded, looking excited. "I need to do some more research, but I think it'll work perfectly." She glanced at Willow. "I'll have to show it to you later."

Dawn grinned. "You guys are so bad at keeping secrets from each other."

Tara smirked, shrugging. "It's not really a secret. I just didn't want to get my hopes up if I was remembering wrong."

The girls went downstairs and Dawn and Willow helped pour drinks while Tara made lunch for the others. Willow went down into the basement to call the slayers up for lunch, pausing on the steps to watch several of them sparring. Kennedy saw her watching and missed blocking the kick that was coming at her head. The kick connected solidly and the slayer spun to the ground, hitting hard.

Willow rushed down the stairs, getting to her side within seconds, dropping to her knees next to her former girlfriend. Buffy was already there and Xander ran upstairs to get an ice pack.

"You okay?" Buffy asked, steadying the other slayer as she sat up. Kennedy glanced at the two girls, nodding slowly, a hand coming up to the side of her head.

Willow leaned over to look closer, pulling her dark hair gently out of the way. "It's not bleeding, but there's already a bruise," she said, pulling back quickly as she registered the look the slayer was giving her, dark eyes locked on Willow's left hand.

The slayer pushed herself to her feet roughly, shouldering her way through the crowd and ignoring Xander on the stairs as he came back down with ice and painkillers.

Willow took off up the stairs after her a few moments later, Buffy only a few steps behind her. The Slayer overtook her friend when they reached the ground floor, catching up to Kennedy and getting in front of her, stopping her momentum. "Stop. Just listen to her," Buffy said firmly, gesturing to where Willow was standing behind the younger slayer.

"Kennedy, wait," Willow said. The dark haired girl met her former girlfriend's gaze furiously, jaw clenched. Her arms were stiff at her sides and she shook her head, refusing to speak. She stared at Willow for a long moment before she pushed roughly past Buffy and took the stairs quickly up toward her room.

Willow exchanged looks with Buffy. "Uh oh," the Slayer commented. "This isn't good." Willow started to go after the other slayer again, Buffy pulling her back by the arm. "Is that really a good idea right now, Will? Maybe we should let her cool down. Or maybe I should talk to her?" she suggested, meeting Willow's eyes.

The redhead bit her lip, nodding slowly. "I was just coming down to tell you all that lunch is ready. Tara made sandwiches." She blanched. "Kennedy didn't have time to get to the kitchen, did she?"

Buffy was fairly certain she hadn't but Willow was already moving toward the kitchen so she let her go, going back down to the basement to where Xander was still standing halfway down the stairs.

"Lunch is in the kitchen, guys," she called down to the others as she pulled a confused Xander with her to the top of the stairs.

Tara looked concerned as Willow burst into the kitchen. "What happened? Willow? Are you okay?" Her eyes ran quickly over her lover's face and body, making sure she was unharmed. "Xander just ran out of here with ice and aspirin, is everything okay?"

Willow nodded distractedly. "Kennedy, she got kicked in the head. Are you okay?"

Tara frowned. "Am I okay? Of course I'm okay. How's Kennedy?"

"She saw my ring and ran out. I didn't…I thought she might come in here…find you." Willow was stammering, still anxious.

Tara moved over to her quickly, hugging her. "I'm fine, sweetie. I haven't seen Kennedy since this morning." She frowned. "She wouldn't hurt me, even if she was upset. You know her better than that, Will."

The redhead nodded, her eyes closing as she calmed down. "I know that. I've just been panicky about you, keeping you safe, you know that."

Tara kissed her gently. "I don't have anything to be afraid of inside the castle, baby. You need to calm down. We need to talk after lunch. Hopefully what I found will make you feel better."

Dawn cleared her throat as the slayers came into the kitchen. The witches separated as the incoming girls shot curious looks at the redhead. Buffy was lingering outside, and they joined her and Xander in the front room of the castle.

"How do you guys want to deal with this?" the Slayer asked, pacing with her arms crossed.

Willow and Tara exchanged glances. "I want to talk to her myself, but that really might not be a good idea right now. She was really mad," the redhead said, shaking her head.

Buffy nodded. "I can talk to her, Will. She needs some time to cool off before you see her, I think. I'll take a sandwich up to her room and try and calm her down."

Willow nodded miserably and Tara took her hand gently. "Thank you, Buffy. We can go back upstairs so she won't run into either of us this afternoon. We need to start working on the spells for the castle anyway," the blonde said, glancing around the group. They nodded and Buffy went in the kitchen to collect three sandwiches. She handed two of them to the witches and the three girls went upstairs.

Kennedy wouldn't face the bedroom door as she heard the knock on her door. "Go away, Willow." She heard the door open and whipped around to face the intruder.

Buffy held out the sandwich wordlessly. The other slayer took it and Buffy sat down on the other bed. "So, now you know. She wasn't trying to hurt you. She was just going to wait for a while to tell you."

"She sent you up here to beg her case? Or she just doesn't care enough to deal with this?" Kennedy interrupted, bitterness rampant in her voice.

"Hey!" Buffy scowled at her. "I asked her to let me be the one to come talk to you. And you know damn well she cares about you. She was the first one to get to you when you hit the floor not ten minutes ago."

"She's cares about me enough to dump me when her ex comes back…and now she's getting married." Kennedy stared at the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but at the confirmation she knew she would see on Buffy's face.

"She's getting married, but she didn't want you to find out like this…she didn't mean to hurt you. Tara either." Buffy could see the other slayer wince as she dropped her head into her hands, one hand recoiling from the bruise on her temple. "I'm sorry, Kennedy. How's your head? You ran out before Xander got back with the ice pack."

The dark haired girl looked up and Buffy leaned forward to check her pupils. "You don't have a concussion, but I'm betting your skull is killing right now. How about you come get some medicine, and you can take it easy this afternoon," she suggested, standing up.

Kennedy scowled up at her. "I don't need coddling, Buffy."

The Slayer met her gaze. "You're good then?"

The other girl nodded firmly, gritting her teeth to keep from wincing. Her gaze shifted over the Slayer's shoulder, and Buffy turned to see Satsu at the door, lingering uncertainly, an ice pack in her hand.

"Good afternoon, Buffy." Satsu's voice was squeaky. "I just came up to check on Kennedy."

Buffy nodded. "That's right, you two are roommates, right?" Satsu nodded quickly, shuffling her feet nervously. The blonde looked around the room. "I'm curious to see what your room will look like once we've gotten settled in."

Satsu blushed, nodding her head rapidly. "Thank you, Buffy." She glanced around the room herself. "It's nice of you to say," she said, finally looking at the older girl. "I bet your room is going to be great." Her voice was still high and squeaky.

"Well, my New Kids on the Block posters got destroyed so it won't be quite as dated as my room at home, but I'm sure I can find someway to decorate it in a way that will make everyone feel right at home. Maybe a nice rack of weapons over the bed? What do you think? Would that be too much?" Buffy asked, smiling at her and Satsu's blush got instantly brighter and her eyes dropped to her feet. Kennedy was watching the exchange and sighed heavily, drawing both girls' attention.

Buffy pointed to Satsu and looked back at Kennedy. "Satsu, you keep an eye on her for me. Kennedy, take care of the head. I'll be in the basement whenever you feel up to joining us." She nodded to both girls before turning and walking back down the stairs.

Kennedy gave Satsu a look as the other girl shut their door slowly as she watched the elder Slayer walk away. She sighed as she turned back to her friend. "I know what you're going to say, Kennedy. You don't have to say it."

"I don't? Are you sure? Because you still seem pretty hung up on her," Kennedy said, finally giving the other girl a sympathetic look as she realized how similar both of their situations actually were.

Satsu leaned back against the door, let her head fall back against the wood. "I know I've got to get over it, but it's not that simple."

Kennedy sighed, letting herself fall backwards onto her bed, head jerking up as she hit the now purple bruise on her temple. Satsu moved quickly to her and handed over the ice pack, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know it's not that simple," Kennedy agreed as she put her head back down more gently, resting the ice pack on the bruise. "I guess it's kind of hypocritical of me to tell you to get over it when I'm in the same boat."

Satsu smirked, rolling her eyes. "So, which is more painful; having your ex get engaged a week after you break up, or having the girl of your dreams not even notice that you're alive?"

Kennedy shrugged and grimaced. "I'd say they both suck and leave it at that."

Satsu nodded. "Agreed." She looked around. "So, don't we need cookie dough for this, or something?" The injured girl grinned and Satsu stood up. "I'll go get it."

* * *

Willow and Tara sat down on the floor with their sandwiches near Tara's neat stacks of books. They didn't talk immediately, just munched on their lunch in silence. Willow finished her sandwich first, fidgeting anxiously. Buffy poked her head in as Tara was finishing her sandwich.

"She's okay. She's upset, but I think she's calmed down," she reported and Willow sighed. "Give her a few days to get used to the idea. She'll probably be avoiding you anyway." The Slayer looked carefully at her best friend. "Are you two okay?"

Willow nodded. "Thanks, Buffy."

She smiled. "Sure thing, Will. I've got to get back down there to work, but I'll be free after dinner so I'll talk to you more then." She jogged out the door and down the stairs, leaving the witches alone.

Tara handed the book she'd been reading earlier over to Willow. "Read this part and let me know what you think." She pointed at the passage and leaned back against the wall to wait. After a moment, she stood up and retrieved pillows from their bed, leaning against one and holding one for Willow.

There was a stunned look on the redhead's face as she looked up from the book, shaking her head. "Tara, no. This is too much. If I went dark again…you…it could hurt you." She bit her lip. "I could hurt you."

Tara pressed a hand over her lover's mouth. "You aren't going dark again, Willow," she said firmly. "I know you'd never use the connection to hurt me."

Willow looked carefully at her from behind her hand, reaching up to pull it down, holding it in her lap. "You really want to do this? Tara, this is big."

The blonde sat the pillow down on the floor. "Sit on this sweetie, this floor is too hard." Willow absently sat up to tuck the pillow underneath her. She was still staring at her lover and Tara smiled gently at her. "Will, we're getting married. This ceremony is just an extension of that."

Willow looked doubtful. "Normally, marriage doesn't involve being able to sense each other's presence, location, and magic. This…you'd never have a moment's privacy from me."

Tara shrugged easily. "That's nothing I want anyway. This would let you feel better about me being safe. You'd know if anything happened, if I was in trouble." She paused. "And we'd know what spells each other are casting."

Willow looked her in the eye. "You can keep me in control." She wasn't offended by the statement, merely grateful for the accountability.

"You can keep yourself in control. I know that," Tara corrected her. "I don't have to watch you to know that you're not going to get addicted again."

Willow glanced at the book. "You would leave again if I was," she said quietly. She looked up at Tara as the blonde touched her face.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. I left last time because you hurt me. You erased my memories to control me. I know that you'll never let it happen again." She took a deep breath. "I'm with you, Willow. I'm going to do my best to give you whatever you need."

Willow nodded. "Thanks, Tara. You really want to do this?"

The blonde smiled. "Well, not right this minute, but yes, I do." She leaned forward to kiss her gently. "It's not like we'll be lojacked or something. You'd have to concentrate to find my location or contact me mentally." She looked Willow carefully in the eye. "What are you thinking here, love? Obviously, if you don't want to do it, if you have any doubts at all, we'll scrap the whole thing."

Tears welled up in Willow's eyes and Tara frowned, wiping them with her thumbs. "What's wrong, baby? What is it?"

"I can't believe you'd do that for me." Willow's voice was barely a whisper and Tara smiled at her.

"Willow, I'd do anything for you," she said simply. "Does that mean you want to do it?"

"Are you sure?" the redhead reiterated. Tara nodded firmly, squeezing one of Willow's hands. "It looks complicated, we'll have to get Giles to help us. And we should tell Buffy about the effects, she'll need to know from a tactical standpoint. When can we do it?"

Tara looked amused. "The wedding?" she suggested.

Willow grinned goofily. "Oh yeah. So when's the wedding?"

"Whenever we can plan it, sweetie. Still want to try and do something this summer?"

The redhead nodded excitedly. "Yes! The sooner, the better!" She jumped up and rushed into their bedroom, coming back with a pad of paper and a pen. Tara smirked and pulled the pillow Willow had been sitting on next to her. The witch sat down beside her, leaning back against her immediately. "Buffy and Xander are the Maid of Honor and Best Man respectively. Of course, Giles will be there to help with the ceremony. Dawnie will be there. We should at least call my parents. They probably won't come, but they should at least know. And your father and your brother." She paused. "What do you want to do about them, baby?"

Tara sighed. "I don't care. They're under the impression I'm still dead. We can leave it there. They're probably happier that way anyway." She didn't even have to see Willow's face to know that her lover was scowling. She turned her head with a finger, kissing her slowly. They pulled back gradually and Tara smiled at her. "What else?"

"Um, well…" The redhead's brain was fuzzy and she glanced at her list. "Who else do we want to invite?"

"How about Angel, and Wesley, Fred and Gunn, Lorne?" Tara suggested. Willow wrote it down slowly, trying halfheartedly to concentrate, distracted by her lover's nearness. The blonde could tell she was struggling to focus and teasingly took in a deep breath, holding it and pressing her chest against her lover's back. Willow shot her a look as she realized what the other witch was doing, turning to look at her.

"You've already done this trick today. We were supposed to be at breakfast at a reasonable hour this morning and you…seduced me," she objected weakly, losing her train of thought as Tara stretched her arms up over her head, the hem of her shirt rising with it.

Willow surrendered in a rush, turning to straddle her lover, her hand coming up to the back of her head, the force of her kiss bumping them into the wall. Her knuckles scraped the stone wall roughly, but she couldn't have cared less, kissing Tara passionately. She broke away as air became an issue, dropping her head onto the blonde's shoulder. "You're insatiable," she breathed, not sounding like she regretted it at all.

Tara nodded, turning her head to pull the shell of Willow's ear between her teeth. "Is that a problem?" She grinned as Willow shook her head, one hand sliding around to touch her face. Tara's hand came up to meet it and she pulled back immediately, feeling rough skin and something sticky. "Baby, your hand." She turned Willow's hand to where she could look at the back of it. "You're bleeding." She leaned her head back against the wall, examining the scrapes. "I'm so sorry, Willow. I hurt you."

Willow shook her head. "I promise I didn't feel it." She leaned forward for another kiss, but Tara moved her head, still looking at Willow's hand. Willow pouted, pulling her hand back to hold Tara's head still. "Hey! I was kissing you, remember?" She connected her second attempt, catching the blonde's hands in hers and holding them gently against the wall.

Tara responded passionately after a moment and Willow released her hands, fingers immediately coming up to cup her face. Her lips broke away from Tara's mouth, running kisses down the smooth skin of her neck. The blonde groaned. "Willow, bedroom." The redhead shook her head, her mouth still moving against Tara's skin. Tara closed her eyes, murmuring rapidly for a moment, and they flopped onto their bed, the door shut behind them.

"Handy," Willow breathed, renewing her kisses on her lover's mouth.

* * *

Tara woke up first and noticed the dimming light outside their window. Willow was still sleeping soundly, and she covered her up carefully before she dressed in the dark, going back into the living room to work on spells for the castle defense. She used the notepad they'd abandoned earlier, noting spells on a new sheet. She didn't cast anything, wanting to check with Willow and Giles before she did anything. She worked quietly, singing to herself, for several hours, grateful that Willow was catching up on her rest.

The blonde couldn't keep a smile off her face as she recalled their afternoon in bed, feeling only slightly guilty about it after their lack of sleep the night before. She was still grinning to herself as the suite door opened and the Scoobies filed in, Giles with them. She stood up quickly, putting her notes and books down and moving to hug him.

He hugged her back, looking over her shoulder at the piles of books. "I see you got some of them."

Dawn boggled at the enormous piles. "There's more?" she asked in disbelief. "No way."

"We should be getting the bookcases delivered tomorrow so we won't have to keep them on the floor," Xander chimed in, looking around the bare room. "And couches," he added, eying the stone floor.

Buffy laughed, holding a plate in her hands. "Well, for tonight we'll just have to make due." She handed the plate over to the witch. "We saved you two some dinner. Where's Will?"

Tara blushed, glancing at the bedroom door. "She's resting." She looked at them. "We actually had something we wanted to talk to you about."

The group exchanged glances and Dawn groaned. "What bad could have happened this afternoon?"

Tara smiled. "No, not bad. It's actually about the wedding."

"I'm still Maid of Honor, right?" Buffy asked, grinning.

Tara laughed. "Yes. It has to do more with the ceremony itself. I've done some research, and talked to Willow about it, and we wanted you guys to know what we're planning on doing."

Dawn grinned. "Is this what you've been working on?"

Tara nodded, smiling at the younger girl. "Yes, Dawnie. I did some research on wedding ceremonies involving magic and we've found one we wanted to tell you guys about. We're going to need some help from you Giles, if you will."

He nodded, smiling. "Of course. I'd be honored to help in any way I can."

Tara pointed him in the direction of the books he needed, explaining the ceremony to the rest of them.

"So, you guys will be able to tell what's going on with each other from long distances?" Buffy asked as she finished, trying to comprehend the changes that would take place after the wedding.

Tara nodded. "Pretty much. Location, spells, and we'll be able to talk to each other."

"Cool," Dawn said. "So when's the wedding?"

The witch shrugged. "As soon as we can. We don't have a lot of people to invite. Being dead and having your hometown destroyed kind of limits the guest list. Basically, we just wanted the Scoobies there and Angel's people from L.A. if they can make it. And we're planning on calling Willow's parents, but she doesn't think they'll come."

"So you're not going to tell your dad?" Buffy asked. "Not that I mind, he was…unpleasant at your funeral."

Tara shook her head. "Will asked if I wanted to get in touch with him, but he's probably happier thinking I got what I deserved. He'd just be disappointed if he found out I was alive and happy."

No one responded, the others remembering the blonde's funeral and the hateful attitude her father had exhibited towards all of them. The bedroom door opened to the witches' room and Willow joined them just then.

"What's with all the grumpy faces? Is everything okay? Kennedy didn't have to go to the hospital or anything, did she?" She looked around at her friends, concerned.

Tara smiled at her reassuringly. "No, sweetie. Everything is fine. We were just talking. I told them about the ceremony."

Willow brightened. "You'll help us, Giles?" The older man looked up from reading with a smile, nodding. "Great! Now we just have to call Angel and we can figure out when they can come over here for a visit and we can get married." She looked around for her notepad excitedly.

"Buffy brought us up some dinner, baby." Tara showed her the plate in an attempt to distract her from feverish wedding planning.

Xander glanced around the room at the lack of furniture. "Let's take this party somewhere more comfortable. We can at least sit on my bed."

Giles cleared his throat, still reading. "I'll be going to my room. I'm tired from traveling. I'll see you all in the morning. We can begin planning bringing the rest of the veteran slayers to join us." They all called goodnight and the Watcher went into his own bedroom.

They trooped into Xander's room, Tara raising an eyebrow at his perfectly made bed and pristine floor. He caught her look and shrugged at her, grinning widely. "I got our cell phone plans updated with international minutes while you were getting your hair cut, so you can call Angel and your parents from your phone," he informed Willow.

The redhead grimaced at the mention of her parents and checked her watch. "I guess I can get that out of the way now." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialing quickly. It rang for a few moments and she grabbed a chip from the plate in Tara's lap to munch on while she was talking.

"Hello, Willow," her father answered, sounding distracted.

"Dad. Hi."

He cleared his throat. "Did we never teach you that it's impolite to call someone so close to dinner time?"

She frowned. "What? It's not dinner time in California."

"Of course it's not. We're not in California anymore."

She rolled her eyes. "I haven't heard from you in weeks. How was I supposed to know where you are? Where are you anyway?"

"Scotland, currently."

Willow's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. That's where I am."

"Your parents are here?" Xander whispered, shocked, and looked around his room as if the elder Rosenbergs were going to suddenly appear in their midst. Tara glanced between them, but remained quiet.

Willow nodded, her voice croaking as she talked to her father. "I actually was calling…well, I was calling to invite you to my wedding."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long moment. "I'm assuming you're still…."

Willow sighed heavily. "Yes," she said firmly. "You met her, remember? Four years ago. Tara. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, gorgeous. The only girl I ever brought home." She gave Tara a smile. "The only girl I'll ever love," she said, as if to herself and the blonde smiled back at her, squeezing Willow's free hand in her own.

Her father took a deep breath, and Willow's bliss evaporated as the sound snapped her mind back to her conversation. "And you're getting married to her," her father said, sounding surprised.

"Yes, Dad. We're getting married. Do you want to come to the wedding or not?" She was getting frustrated, stepping away from Tara and pacing in front of Xander's bed. Tara was watching her closely, but stayed seated. Xander was chewing his fingernails, leaned against the wall.

He knew exactly how good Willow and her parents were at pushing each other's buttons. It had only gotten worse once Willow had revealed her change in lovers. The Rosenbergs had insisted on having dinner with their daughter and her girlfriend, a tense, unpleasant affair that hadn't been repeated. After that, they'd not mentioned their daughter's orientation, blatantly ignoring any mention of Tara in their conversations with Willow.

"Let me discuss it with your mother. We'll call you back."

Willow sighed again. "Fine. Bye." She snapped the phone shut, shoving it into her pocket.

Xander pushed off the wall, stepping up to touch her shoulder. "You okay?"

She nodded. "You know how they are. They're going to discuss it and call me back." She rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Forget it. I just want to chill out and eat some dinner." She opened her eyes and scanned the group. "How about I'll go get my laptop, and we can watch a movie?"

Xander pushed her down gently to sit on the bed next to Tara. "I'll get it. You eat some dinner. Make yourselves comfortable." He went next door and retrieved her computer and set it up on the foot of the bed while the girls situated themselves on the bed.

They chatted while the movie played, content to have time to relax and spend time together. "So when is the wedding? Do you have a date in mind? When can we buy dresses?" Buffy asked, eager to go shopping.

Willow shrugged, leaned against Tara with the plate sitting in her lap. "We mentioned July. How about the twenty ninth? That will give us a month to shop for dresses and Angel time to get over here." She grinned at Buffy. "That's about the limit of my patience."

"Eager, Will?" Buffy asked, grinning widely back at her. "It's not like you guys aren't already living together."

Dawn laughed. "Are you guys going to spend some time apart before the wedding?" she asked, amused by the looks of horror that crossed both witches' faces simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Tara said firmly. "Our time apart is completely in the past." Willow nodded her agreement, still scowling at the thought.

The Scoobies laughed at them, Buffy elbowing Willow gently. "Of course." The redhead turned to look at the Slayer, smiling back at her. They settled back down. "So, wedding in July, complete with illicit premarital sex. And we'll just have a party at the reception. Small, private, just us. It sounds like it's going to be pretty small anyway."

Willow grinned. "That's perfect with us." She snuggled back into Tara, the blonde's arms tightening around her waist. "I'll call Angel tomorrow and we can check and make sure that date will work for them. Then we'll be in business."

"I'm glad you're not letting your parents bother you, baby," Tara commented, pressing a kiss to her lover's hair.

Willow shrugged. "I got used to them a long time ago. Not worth getting upset about anymore." She turned her head to look up at Tara. "Got more important things in my life now." She smiled gently, dropping her head back onto her lover's shoulder.

* * *

Willow woke up early the next morning, pressing a kiss to Tara's forehead as she quietly dressed and went down to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and prepared to wait for Kennedy to show up. The other slayers started wandering in for breakfast, everyone glancing curiously at her. No one was used to seeing the redhead without the new blonde witch and it was obvious that she was waiting on someone.

Finally Kennedy came in with Satsu, and Willow stood up from the table, drawing the dark-haired slayer's attention. She sighed and nodded slowly, leaving Satsu and stepping back into the front room, Willow following her.

"What do you want, Willow?" Kennedy was obviously frustrated and making no effort to hide it.

The witch took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't…I was going to tell you, I swear."

"Forget it. I'm doing my best not to think about it, you should do the same."

"Kennedy, please stop. I know you have every right to be mad at me, and I don't blame you. I just wanted…I don't even know what I wanted. I just want to be right with you." Willow sighed heavily.

Kennedy crossed her arms. "Will, it's not that simple. You dumped me not two weeks ago, and now you're getting married. It's not something I can just forget about. I mean, I really care…cared about you, and you just dropped me."

"I know, and I can't apologize enough, but Tara…I have to be with her. I'm sorry that that puts you in the middle. What can I do to start making it up to you?" Willow asked miserably.

Kennedy took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Just keep the…the wedding plans far away from me. It's hard enough knowing it's happening, but I don't want to see it."

Willow nodded. "We will. Sorry it's turned out like this. I…well, I'm just sorry."

Kennedy nodded brusquely and walked back into the kitchen without saying anything. Willow watched her go dejectedly, jumping as she felt Tara's arms slide around her waist a moment later. She immediately leaned back against her as she recognized her lover's touch. "How long were you there?"

Tara hugged her, laying her chin on Willow's shoulder. "I saw most of it. I woke up right after you left, but I had an idea where you were going. I would have come with you if you'd woken me up. You didn't have to do that by yourself, baby."

Willow turned her head to look at Tara. "I know you would have come with me, and thanks for that, I just don't think Kennedy would've appreciated it as much as I would have."

Tara sighed. "She's got no reason to love me, I suppose. I did come out of nowhere and steal the world's best girl away from her."

Willow smiled at her. "Well, _I _love you."

Tara smiled back. "That's what matters to me." She kissed Willow gently. "Although, I am sorry that my coming back inadvertently hurt Kennedy. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Willow nodded. "I know, sweetheart. You never would."

Tara's expression turned tender. "I would have waited for you, Willow. I would've waited forever."

Willow blinked back tears. "Well, now you don't have to. We're getting married in a month." Her voice was choked up and she cleared her throat. "At least, we will be once I call Angel and make sure they can make it."

Tara smiled and pressed a kiss to her lover's cheek. "I can't wait."

Willow glanced into the kitchen. "Me neither, baby."

Tara followed her gaze and her smile faded a little. "Your phone's upstairs by the bed. Want me to come upstairs with you?"

Willow nodded, grateful that she'd asked, not wanting to be away from her. "Yes please." She threaded her fingers through Tara's and the blonde released her waist, keeping hold of her hand.

Willow called Angel when they got back to their room, the vampire's voice sounding worried as he answered.

"Is Buffy…?" he asked, and Willow quickly assured him that the Slayer was fine.

"I was actually calling to invite you to my wedding. You and Wesley and Fred and Gunn and Lorne." She took a deep breath, hesitating. "Cordelia?"

She could hear Angel's sigh. "Cordy's still in a coma or she'd love to be there. The rest of us will be there though. When is it?"

"July twenty-ninth. Here at our castle. I'll email Fred the address," Willow said, laughing at Angel's sigh of relief at not having to deal with technology.

"Thanks, Willow. Congratulations to you and Tara."

She grinned, glancing at her lover. "Thank you, Angel. I'll see you in a month."

"Count on it."

Tara was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Willow turned to face her as she hung up the phone, slipping it back into her pocket. One look at Willow's face and she could tell that the redhead was still bothered by her conversation with Kennedy. Resolving to distract her, the blonde hooked her fingers through her lover's belt loops, pulling her closer. "I love when you wear pants, the belt loops are just so handy."

Willow smirked. "So you don't like me in skirts?"

Tara shook her head, smiling up at the redhead. "I love you in skirts, baby." She tilted her head up for a kiss, which Willow happily gave her. "I love you out of skirts more though." She ran her eyes over Willow's body. "Or out of pants."

The redhead shivered and smiled as she stepped forward and Tara pulled Willow over herself on the bed. "We're going to get a bad reputation for this if we keep missing meals and meetings like this."

Tara shook her head. "Reputations are overrated, lover." She kissed the redhead deeply, scattering words between kisses. "Besides, they've all lived with us. They should be used to it." She pulled back. "We can stop. I know you have stuff you need to do today."

Willow relaxed her arms, dropping herself to lie fully on top of her lover. "Nothing comes to mind." Her voice was a murmur and she kissed the blonde witch passionately.


	15. Chapter 14

The weeks leading up to the wedding were hectic as they started bringing the other veteran slayers to Scotland. Willow was as good as her word and was very careful to keep any wedding plans inside the Scoobies' suite, and Kennedy threw herself into her work preparing the other slayers, staying in the basement training area most of the time.

Buffy insisted on separate shopping trips to get Willow and Tara's wedding dresses, but wanted to go on both trips so she made them flip a coin to see who was going first and left the other one behind at the castle. The alternate trip was repeated the next day and each dress was stored in Buffy and Dawn's closets so that neither witch could sneak a peek at the other one's dress.

It was a week before the wedding when the castle received a large wooden box in the mail. It was delivered at dusk and the delivery man didn't linger to get a signature, just left the box and pounded on the door before leaving.

Xander and Willow were outside and noticed the truck pulling down the long driveway. They exchanged glances and shrugs as they climbed up the hill to the door. Buffy pulled open the door as they got there and all three looked down at the box in surprise.

"What is it?" Xander asked, leaning close to peer at the label in the dim light. "Will, did you order something huge for the wedding and forget to mention it to anyone?"

The witch shook her head, just as confused as he was. "Nope. I don't know what it is. Buffy?" They looked at the Slayer.

She shook her head. "Not me." She kicked it speculatively and they all jumped as there was an echoing thump from inside the box. The friends exchanged glances and Buffy scowled, kicking the box again, more firmly.

"Stop that before I kill you," an accented but muffled voice ordered from inside the crate and Buffy crossed her arms over her chest.

"No," she said petulantly as she kicked a more rapid pattern on the side of the box.

There was a muffled growl and Willow and Xander each took a cautious step back. Buffy rolled her eyes at the pair and continued kicking a beat against the wooden crate. She was caught off guard as a hand suddenly punched through the side of the box and grabbed her ankle in a firm grip, causing her to fall gracelessly to her butt.

She quickly wrenched her foot out of the grip and jumped up, brushing the dirt off the back of her pants. "Who's in there?" she demanded, stomping one foot on the lid and jumping back.

"It is Dracula, you insolent girl," the muffled voice growled and Xander walked closer unconsciously.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the crate. "Yeah, right. How do we know it's really you?"

"If it really is the Dark Master, we shouldn't keep him waiting, Buffy," Xander said, blinking and shaking his head rapidly to clear it when Willow and Buffy both stared at him incredulously.

"I'm not just going to carry a box of vampire into my home until we know who is in there," Buffy insisted loudly, planting her hands on her hips.

"It's me! Dracula!" the voice roared, losing the smooth accent in his rage. "Manservant, order the Slayer to prepare my rooms as I prefer."

Xander took several uncontrollable steps forward and Buffy sighed, exchanging glances with Willow and finally nodding. "Fine, I'm convinced that you're who you say you are. Let Xander out of your thrall now."

"I will do nothing of the sort. He's my manservant. Who else will eat bugs for my amusement?" the voice asked.

Both girls wrinkled their noses in disgust and Xander shrugged. "It's a thrall, people! It's not like I can stop him!"

"We'll let you out when you let Xander go," Buffy bargained, winking at him supportively. "And we'll accommodate your less insane demands. But no one will be eating any bugs!" she said firmly. "Deal?"

There was a long pause and they all heard Dracula take an unnecessary breath. "Fine."

Buffy grinned triumphantly and looked around for something to open the crate with. "Um, Willow, can you magic us up a crowbar or something?"

Xander shook his head, rolling his eye. "Just hang on, I've got one in the tool box," he said, rushing into the castle. Tara and Dawn came out as he went in, both looking over their shoulders at him.

"Is he okay?" Tara asked, looking at the others.

Dawn laughed. "He's not running from this box is he?" she asked, kicking the crate. She jumped back with a cry and hid behind Buffy as Dracula growled from inside.

Willow laughed herself at the vampire's annoyance and Buffy leaned over to pat the lid of the box. "She didn't mean anything by it," she said mock-soothingly as she took a seat on top of the box, grinning widely at Willow.

"Slayer, why is your family's first instinct is to kick things?" he asked, obviously frustrated.

She shrugged even though he couldn't see her. "You're the one who mailed yourself over here in a box. Why don't you just fog yourself out?" she asked.

There was a stunned silence from inside the box and then fog started to flow out of one side, materializing into the tall, cloaked vampire. Buffy slowly stood up from her seat and smirked as he eyed them all for a moment without saying anything. Finally he sniffed the air delicately and his gaze settled on Tara as he licked his lips.

"I only smelt you on my last visit with the Slayer. You're as lovely as you smell," he said smoothly and stepped closer to her as she could only stand and stare at him, enthralled. "I can only imagine how you taste."

At that, Willow made a strangled noise and moved toward the pair. "You are never going to find out how she tastes," she said firmly, interjecting herself between them.

He sniffed again, looking down his nose at the redheaded witch. "Ah, yes. Your scent is all over her. She means something to you? How nice." Willow opened her mouth to speak again, but found herself speechlessly moving out of his way and unable to move as he leaned slowly in and pressed a lingering kiss to Tara's cheek, his mouth out of Willow's sight for several moments.

The redhead was fuming, but not able to fight his compulsion to stay quiet, and her fists were shaking at her sides as she struggled to disobey him. After a few moments he stepped back from Tara, licking his lips and Willow felt his control fade.

She immediately got in between them again, shoving him back from them before turning her back on him to tilt Tara's head to the side to inspect her fiancée's neck for any marks. She sighed in relief when she realized that the vampire had been teasing her and turned back to look at him, poking him angrily in the chest. "You stay away from her," she said warningly. "You might think you're so smooth, but if you put one finger on her…"

Her attention turned back to Tara as her lover squeezed her hand gently. The blonde shuffled her feet and looked up at Willow abashedly from behind her hair. "I see what you meant about him." Willow gaped at her in disbelief as Tara snuck another glance at the smirking vampire, waving the fingers of her free hand at him. The redhead snatched the wiggling hand and pulled the blonde inside the castle, stomping past Xander as he returned triumphantly with the crowbar.

He glanced over his shoulder at his retreating best friend and he frowned at Buffy. "Where're Will and Tara going? We've got to get Dracula…" he trailed off as he noticed the vampire standing there. "Well if I don't get to open the crate, can I at least hit you with this for the bug eating thing?" Dracula just stared at him and he lowered the crowbar slowly, finally letting it slip from his fingers. "Fine, but remember that you promised to quit it with the thrall stuff, remember? If I even think about eating a bug that crowbar is going to swing," Xander promised. Dracula didn't even blink, smirk still lingering on his mouth.

Buffy glanced between the two of them. "What are you even doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The vampire gestured to the castle. "I came to see that the accommodations I found for you were adequate." He gave Buffy a small smile. "Such services surely shouldn't go without some kind of recompense."

Buffy sighed, glancing at Xander. "Did you know he was going to do this?"

He shook his head rapidly. "No, Buffy I promise I didn't." He paused. "But if the Dark Master wishes some small compensation for his irreplaceable help…"

Buffy groaned, pointing at Dracula warningly. "Stop thralling him. Now." She waited until Xander gave her a sheepish grin before she continued. "Thank you. So what exactly do you want in exchange for helping us out here?" she asked cautiously.

He eyed her. "Another nip at you wouldn't go unappreciated," he said, smirking at her when she shook her head emphatically. "Ah well," he sighed. "How about a truce?" he offered.

"Between you and me?" Buffy asked.

He shook his head. "Between myself and the multiples of slayers you and your pet witch have unleashed on the world."

She looked at him speculatively. "And what would this truce mean exactly?"

"I won't hunt your people, they won't hunt me," he said simply. "Neither side will provoke the other."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're willing to give up slayer's blood for the rest of your afterlife?"

He chuckled at that. "Every one of your people will be dust long before I will be. My offer is extended to you and your people."

She thought for a long moment. "And if you were offered an opportunity to work against us? What happens to the truce then?"

He raised a hand to his chest, appearing scandalized. "My dear Slayer, I am a gentleman. If you were to discover that I was working against you, of course the agreement would be compromised."

"So if you betray us, we're all free to come kill you?" she asked for clarification.

He nodded. "That's what I'm saying. Do we have a deal?"

She glanced at Xander and Dawn with a heavy sigh. "Give me some time to talk it over with my people. I'll give you an answer in the morning."

"That is acceptable," he said, waving. "Manservant, prepare my chambers."

Buffy gaped at him in surprise as Xander moved to obey. He shrugged. "Somebody's got to do it or he'll just thrall me again. Did you want to do it?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head with a grimace. "No thanks. Make sure the girls know to leave him alone once you get him settled somewhere." She glanced at the vampire. "And meet us upstairs in the living room when you can," she added, pushing Dawn back toward the castle in front of her. She smiled at Xander. "And thanks for dealing with him."

He nodded with a smile of his own and shrugged. "He's not so bad. Most of this is just for show. He likes to show off."

She nodded and they entered the castle. As she walked away she could hear Dracula as he spoke to Xander, his voice lower and more genuine. "You look like you're doing better. The eye patch suits you."

* * *

Willow's pace slowed slightly as they reached their living room and she dropped Tara's hands as she stopped pulling her. The blonde stopped her lover's pacing by stepping in front of her and gently forcing Willow's chin up to face her.

"Baby, you know I didn't mean to," she said. "I'm sorry he teased you like that. I wouldn't have let him bite me."

Willow blinked, shaking her head. "He doesn't like to just like to bite people. He likes to seduce them, remember?"

Tara smiled affectionately at her, brushing one hand over her cheek. "I'm not so easily seduced, love."

"He's got his thrall. He used it on Buffy last time. He bit her," Willow objected.

Tara shook her head. "He's powerful, that's true, but he didn't bite me. And he's not you, so he's got nothing I'm interested in. Period."

Willow sighed, finally nodding. "I know that. It just makes me jumpy having him around you. Magical seductions can be powerful."

Tara stepped closer and wrapped both arms around Willow's waist, pressing a kiss to her forehead and smirking. "Do you think I might have let him bite me if he'd been wearing a Sunnydale letterman's jacket?"

Willow's jaw dropped and her face turned bright red. "Tara, you saw…you saw that? Oh, of course you did!" The blonde just nodded, still smirking. "It wasn't what it looked like. It was a magic jacket…" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Even as a witch, that sounds stupid."

"Of course it was magic, sweetie," Tara said quietly, meeting Willow's eyes. "Only something like that, or an ancient vampire's thrall, is strong enough to even temporarily distract either one of us from each other."

Willow's face cleared and she smiled happily up at Tara. "Okay, I get your point. Dracula is just trying to mess with me and I need to chill out because nothing could ever get between us."

Tara nodded, returning her smile. "Exactly."

"Smart girls are so hot," Willow breathed, leaning in for a kiss. As they pulled back several moments later Willow pressed another kiss over the cheek Dracula had kissed.

"And I'm yours," Tara reminded her gently.

There was no time for more conversation as Buffy and Dawn entered. Tara took one last quick kiss as they joined their friends on the couches in their living room.

"Dracula offered us a truce. Slayers don't hunt him, he won't hunt us. I told him we'd give him an answer in the morning," Buffy said, as she sat down only to pop back up onto her feet to pace.

Willow blinked in surprise. "So what are you going to tell him?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. He's not exactly a normal vampire." She took a deep breath. "I actually think we should take Xander's advice on this one. He's the one who knows Dracula best. He might be able to tell us if were setting ourselves up for trouble by taking this deal."

They didn't have to wait long for Xander to show up and he pulled to a halt right inside the door as he met everyone's simultaneous gaze. "What's going on? Why's everybody looking at me?"

"Are we stupid if we take this deal?" Buffy asked bluntly as Xander moved to join them on the couches.

He shrugged. "You're the boss, Buff."

"And I'm asking for your advice. Are we dumb to trust him?"

The one eyed man ran one hand through his hair. "I don't think so. He's not such a bad guy really. And I think he's being honest. He's not suicidal or anything. No matter how many tricks and powers he has, he's only one vampire. I don't think he'd risk a confrontation by betraying us." He smiled wryly. "Besides, he actually likes me. He says I'm good to talk to. I think he just acts the way he does because that's what everybody expects from him. He's actually pretty funny. His jokes are ancient, but we're working on it. He wants me to stay in touch."

Buffy smiled back at him, nodding. "Okay then. It's settled. We'll take his deal and you can keep in touch with him. Keep him friendly with us."

He nodded, grinning. "I can do that. Part of me thinks he's just lonely. But that's one less vampire we'll have to worry about."

Buffy clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Every little bit helps. And who knows, if he likes you maybe he might actually be helpful someday."

* * *

Angel and his team arrived a few days before the wedding, the vampire mailing himself across the ocean like Dracula had done, while the rest of his group flew. The crate arrived in the middle of the day and they carried it inside and carefully closed any windows that might let light into the front hall. Buffy smirked at him as she pried the lid off his crate in the front room of the castle. "You are so the only vampire I ever want to see climbing out of a box in my castle. You couldn't have paid for shipping yourself though?"

He smiled as he sat up. "It was cheaper than checking this big box as luggage on the plane." She rolled her eyes and he climbed out. "I'll pay you back." She looked skeptical and he shrugged, opening his arms, a rare smile coming to his face as Buffy hugged him tightly. "Work's been good recently." He looked down at her. "And what other vampire has been here? You haven't…you're not dating…" He stumbled over his words and Buffy swatted him on the chest.

"Of course not! Eww! No, it was Dracula. He's a friend of Xander's. He came by to see how we liked the castle." She rolled her eyes at him. "And I don't just date vampires, Angel."

He nodded and smiled in relief before he turned his attention to Willow and Tara, stepping over to hug the redhead. "Congratulations, you two."

Willow giggled as she released him. "Thank you."

He hugged Tara, and turned back to Buffy. "Am I the first one here?" She nodded. "Sorry about that. We thought we'd get here around the same time. Their flight must have gotten delayed. Wesley should have the money to pay you back on him."

The Slayer rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself from hugging him again. "You don't have to apologize. We crashed in your hotel for like a week and a half, and I have no intention of paying you back." She grinned at him. "We'll just go find you guys some rooms. The other slayers are kind of scattered around in here, but the room Dracula was using should work for you."

They gave him the tour and were just finishing up when Giles pulled up in their van with the rest of the Angel Investigations group. They showed their friends to their rooms and gathered in the Scoobies' living room to talk. Most of the group didn't know Tara very well so they spent much of their time talking to and about her. Willow was quite willing and eager to brag on her fiancée, and babbled proudly about her.

The last few days before the wedding were spent preparing for the ceremony, each person practicing their parts individually. The day before the wedding they practiced it together, reciting their lines in English to avoid accidentally performing it early. The night before Buffy and Dawn insisted on having a girls' night camp out in the living room. They said it was only because they had company, but Willow suspected her best friend was trying to keep her and Tara from retreating to their bedroom and running the risk of being too busy in bed to actually come outside and get married.

The day of the wedding dawned misty and cool, but the witches couldn't have cared less if it had been pouring rain. Buffy woke Willow up before Tara was awake, rushing her best friend into her own bedroom with a hand over her eyes to keep her from seeing the other witch. "You haven't kept up with any of the major wedding superstitions, I'm at least making you wait to see her until the ceremony." Willow pouted and the Slayer grinned widely. "You'll thank me when you see her." A dreamy look crossed Willow's face and Buffy laughed. "Dawn's helping Tara get dressed in her room and Xander is going to bring up some food for both of you so you don't go outside and see each other until it's time."

"When is it time?" Willow asked, excited.

Buffy shook her head, laughing. "You know what time the ceremony is, Will. The sun will be down behind the castle in ten hours. It'll fly by, I promise."

"Maybe for you," the witch muttered. "I didn't get any smooches last night and I don't get to see Tara all day. How was this a good plan?" she complained, frowning dramatically.

"If you want Angel to catch on fire, we could make it earlier. If it makes it any better, I'm sure she's just as spazzed as you are." The Slayer paused and surveyed her best friend. "I take that back. No one spazzes like you, Willow." The redhead shot her a look and Buffy laughed again. "How about once you see her, you'll be marrying her, does that make it better?"

The dazed and dreamy look crossed the witch's face again and Buffy pushed her gently to the bathroom. "You go take a shower, and we'll kill some time before we start getting our dresses on."

They finished getting ready with thirty minutes to spare, and Willow was pacing anxiously. They had arranged the ceremony in the field behind the castle and everyone was already there except for the wedding party. Xander was going to lead Tara around the left side of the castle and Buffy would bring Willow around the right side so they would meet in the middle.

They stopped on either side of the castle, out of sight of the others, and Xander whistled loudly to signal that he was in place, giving Tara a hug. She smiled and straightened his tie, pressing a kiss to his cheek. They heard Buffy's response and he started walking to meet her. They went down the aisle together and joined Giles at the front. Willow and Tara each started walking as they saw Buffy and Xander turn to look back up the aisle from their spots in the front. Willow's parents were sitting on one side with Dawn and Angel. Faith, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, and Wesley were sitting on the other side of the aisle and everyone stood up as the witches started around the castle towards each other.

Willow's jaw dropped and she stumbled as she met Tara's eyes, scanning her lover's dress before coming back up to her face. Tara smiled crookedly and did the same, mouthing I love you to her. Tears welled up in Willow's eyes as she returned it. Their hands hooked together automatically as they stepped up beside each other. They walked down the aisle side by side and finally made it to the front.

Giles smiled at both of them and the girls turned to get their wedding bands from Buffy and Xander.

There was a moment of silence from everyone as Willow got her nerves up. She'd practiced her vows for hours, but now that it was time she found her mind suddenly blank. She glanced down at their joined hands as she felt Tara's fingers squeeze hers. She saw her mouth encouragement, but she couldn't hear what Tara said over her own heart pounding in her ears.

She swallowed thickly and her fingers brushed lightly over the back of Tara's hand as their eyes met and she started to speak. "Tara Maclay, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Before I met you I couldn't have imagined how anyone could love another person so much. And now I don't know who I would be without you, without being in love with you." She smiled bashfully. "I had something better written, but I'm nervous and I can't remember it and I think that's how it started but I can't think of the rest, but the most important part is that I'll love you for the rest of my life and beyond."

Willow could feel tears rising in the back of her throat and she continued before they could get there and choke her up. "I know there's thousands of flowery ways to say it, but I really can't think of any of them right now, so I'll just say it plainly. I love you, Tara. I'm in love with you. I have been since the first second I ever saw you, and I will be forever. I love everything about you, and it's amazing because I wake up each day and don't think I could love you more and then I find out that I can as soon as you smile at me." The feelings finally overwhelmed her and she blinked to clear the tears from her eyes, feeling them slide down her face. "I'm yours, forever," she promised.

There were tears in Tara's eyes and she pulled one of Willow's hands to her mouth to kiss the back of it as Willow slipped the wedding band onto her finger with a shaking hand. She lowered Willow's hand as she prepared to speak. "Willow. My dear, sweet, beautiful Willow. Every single thing in my life is made better simply because I know you, because I get to be close to you. Every day that I wake up with you is a precious gift." The tears spilled over her cheeks and she smiled.

"It's a gift I never thought I'd have, but I've been even luckier than I could have ever imagined because I got to come back to you not once, but twice." Tears ran down Willow's face and one of Tara's hands came up to brush them away. "I love you Willow, and I always will. Nothing can ever keep us apart again." Willow caught Tara's hand against her face and pressed a kiss to the palm as she nodded. "I'm yours, forever," Tara repeated the promise and pulled her hand back gently and took Willow's left hand to slip the wedding band into place. She used the grip on her hand to pull the redhead in close, kissing her deeply.

Willow's arms wrapped around Tara's neck and she kissed her back eagerly as their friends cheered around them. Xander and Buffy were both whooping loudly while everyone else was clapping. The girls pulled back slowly and kept their foreheads leaned together, both smiling.

Giles started his part of the magical ceremony as the applause died down. The girls said their parts at the correct time and their friends let out a gasp as white light shot from each witch, connecting their hearts. Buffy glanced at Giles for reassurance as Willow and Tara's heads dropped back, eyes closed. He returned her look, shrugging as they watched.

He finished the ritual and the light faded. Willow's eyes opened immediately, but Tara's body dropped back suddenly, unconscious. Xander caught her quickly, dropping to his knees to support her. Willow dropped down beside them instantly, checking the blonde's pulse and breathing. Buffy and Giles were at a loss, the Watcher rereading the details of the ritual quickly.

"What happened?" Xander asked, looking around worriedly at the group. "What's wrong with her? Giles?"

The Watcher was frowning at his papers. "I can't be sure. We did the ritual correctly. The results appear to be what was described in our research. I don't know what happened."

Willow was crying. "I did it, it's my fault." She ran her fingers across the blonde's face, brushing her skin lightly.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, glancing at Dawn and the Rosenbergs. "Will, what happened?"

"She did this for me. So I would feel better. So she could keep an eye on what spells I was casting." The redhead was sobbing and Buffy dropped to her knees next to her, pulling her head around to look her in the face.

"Willow, she did this because she loves you. She married you because she loves you. Not to watchdog your magic." Buffy frowned at her. "Why would you think that?"

Willow was still sobbing, shaking her head. "She…she didn't…that was my idea…she…she just wanted me to feel better about her…being safe. And now…now…" Buffy pulled the redhead down into her shoulder, muffling her sobs, the witch's arms wrapping around the Slayer.

"Will, she'll wake up. I promise you." She looked up at the group surrounding them. "Angel, could you carry her up to the castle?" He nodded and pushed past Willow's parents to scoop the blonde witch into his arms. He carried her easily back to the castle, Dawn following him and ushering the Rosenbergs with her. Willow fought to stand up and go after them, but Buffy held her down firmly. "Willow, I need you to be calm. Can you feel Tara? Like the way the ritual was supposed to do? That would at least tell us if it worked."

The redhead wiped her tears, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. After a long moment her eyes snapped back open. "I can feel her. She's unconscious, but I can feel her and she's okay. Angel put her on the couch in the living room."

Giles released a breath. "Good. Thank you, Willow. If the ritual worked, perhaps it was just the sensation of the connection that made Tara pass out, and not anything sinister."

Willow shook her head, calmer. "No, she's not hurt and nothing is attacking her."

Xander helped the girls to their feet. "Any reading on when she's going to wake up?"

Willow shook her head, biting her bottom lip. "Well, the reception is on hold until she does," Buffy said, wrapping her arm around Willow's shoulders.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," she objected, looking around at her friends.

Xander shot her a look. "We can't have the wedding reception without either of the brides… um… er… guests of honor. How does that work again?" His arm dropped over Buffy's on Willow's shoulders. "Anyway, doesn't matter, the point is, none of us are going to leave you alone to wait while you watch over her."

The group went back up to the castle to wait, Gunn and Wesley lingering outside to collect the chairs they'd used. Willow immediately climbed onto the couch with Tara, lifting her lover's head carefully into her lap, her fingers running through her hair gently. The others seated themselves around the room, Giles at the table with the books they'd used for the ceremony. Lorne started singing quietly, using his songs to keep the others distracted and calmer.

Giles signaled Buffy after an hour, waving her over to join him at the table. She read over his shoulder, glancing over at the witches on the couch as she finished.

Willow saw the look and frowned. Dawn watched the exchange and came over to sit down beside the couch, curling her legs under her and sitting back against the sofa. Willow carefully put a pillow under Tara's head, standing up to join Buffy and Giles at the table.

"What is it? What did you find?" The redhead looked at Buffy, looking slightly panicked.

Buffy touched her shoulder gently, trying to reassure her. "Will, it's nothing to freak out about." This didn't help matters, and the redhead shook her head rapidly.

"Buffy, just tell me. What happened?" Her voice was wavering, her hands twitching anxiously.

The Slayer took a deep breath. "It was the differences in your powers. Her body wasn't prepared for how strong you are. That's what made her pass out."

Willow looked over at the couch, a horrified look on her face. "It was me," she whispered brokenly. "I did it."

"Willow, we had no way of knowing. Nothing in our research indicated…. It wasn't your fault," Giles spoke up. "And Tara should be fine once she wakes up." The witch was still staring at the couch, and Buffy squeezed her shoulder gently.

Willow turned to look at her, tears running down her face. Buffy pulled her into a hug, meeting Dawn's eyes over her best friend's shoulder. The younger girl was obviously scared, but was making a valiant effort to keep it together for Willow's sake. Buffy pulled back and looked her friend carefully in the face.

"Will, you need to rest. You've been wound up all day. Come lay down in your room. I promise we'll get you the second she moves." Willow nodded slowly, and Buffy moved her carefully across the room to the witches' bedroom. Willow climbed onto the bed, hugging Tara's pillow to her immediately, taking comfort in the familiar scent that lingered on it.

Buffy sat on the edge of the bed, watching her carefully. The redhead was quiet for so long she thought the witch had fallen asleep. "It's our wedding day, and she's on the couch unconscious because of me." Her voice was quiet and sad.

Buffy leaned over to wrap an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Will. It's not your fault though. You know she doesn't blame you. She'll tell you herself in a little while."

The Slayer sat with Willow for hours until they heard Dawn call loudly for them. The witch was off the bed and in the living room within seconds, Buffy right behind her. Willow dropped to her knees next to the couch, grabbing Tara's hand tightly.

The blonde stirred, her eyelids fluttering. "Willow?" she breathed her lover's name and tears leaked from the redhead's eyes.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here." Her free hand came up to touch Tara's face. The blonde's eyes opened slowly, and Willow couldn't resist leaning forward to kiss her gently. "Thank God you're awake. Are you okay? How do you feel? Does anything hurt?" Her questions were quick, her voice still almost frantic.

Tara smiled weakly at her. "Willow, I'm okay. How are you?"

Willow let out a sobbing gasp, dropping her head forward onto Tara's chest as relief flooded through her. Tara met Buffy's eyes, concern apparent in her gaze as she soothingly stroked her hand over the back of her wife's head.

"She's been very worried about you," the Slayer said, smiling gently. "And you should know that she blames herself." Willow pulled back quickly, gaping at Buffy. She grinned unrepentantly, shrugging.

Tara frowned at Willow. "It wasn't your fault, sweetie. I didn't expect so much power." The redhead bit her lip, and Tara reached up to touch her face. "I'm fine. You didn't do it." She sat up slowly, leaning back on her elbows. Willow's hands moved quickly to support her. Tara glanced around at the crowd in their living room. "All this fuss for me?" She smiled slowly, trying to reassure everyone.

"Will's not the only one who's been worried," Dawn commented, smiling happily up at Tara. The blonde smiled back at her, touching her hand gently.

Xander grinned. "We've been waiting on you for the reception, sleepy head."

Angel shook his head. "At this point it's going to be breakfast. The sun will be up in about an hour."

Tara looked carefully around the room. Everyone had been awake all night and it was showing, especially on Willow's parents who were unaccustomed to all-nighters. "How about we all get a few hours of rest, and we can have the reception in here once we all wake up?"

The rest of the group agreed and Xander stepped forward to help the blonde to her feet. She smiled over at him. "Thanks, Xander. I'm still a little lightheaded." Willow slipped herself under Tara's arm, supporting her. Everyone separated to their rooms, Buffy and the Scoobies remaining to watch Willow and Tara move to their bedroom.

Willow helped Tara to bed before closing their bedroom door, smiling shakily out at their friends as she shut it. She turned to face the bed, smiling genuinely at her lover. Tara smiled back at her. "So, how come my wife isn't kissing me already? We _are _technically on our honeymoon."

Willow felt her smile widen at the words, but still hesitated near the door. "I'm so sorry I hurt you. I never would have done it if I'd known what would happen. I never wanted to hurt you again. I'm so, so sorry, Tara. I love you so much." She was quickly approaching babbling and Tara stood up, wavering as dizziness washed over her. Willow jumped forward to stabilize her immediately.

Tara wrapped her arm around her wife's shoulders, leaning on her. "Willow, you didn't do anything to me. I'm not hurt. You didn't hurt me." She turned Willow's head with one hand. "I love you, baby." The redhead didn't have time to respond before Tara was kissing her, arm tightening around her shoulder to pull her closer. Willow kissed her back instantly, wrapping her arms around her lover's waist. Tara took a step back and they tumbled into bed, the blonde keeping Willow on top of her. She broke the kiss, breathing hard. "Believe me yet, or do I have to prove it to you?"

Willow smirked. "Oh, I believe you love me baby, but you feel free to show me anytime you want."

Tara smiled up at her. "I'll take you up on that, but it wasn't exactly what I meant. I'm fine. I feel fine, I mean. You believe me yet?"

The redhead sighed and moved to roll off of her, but Tara kept her hands on her lover's hips, keeping the girl straddling her. "I like you right where you are, thanks." Willow smiled and Tara shifted her hips, the redhead's eyes slipping closed with a deep groan. "I can tell you want me Willow, so what's the problem? You're not going to hurt me."

Willow just shook her head, eyes sliding open to look down at her wife. Tara just met her gaze without speaking until finally the redhead sighed. "Tara, the first thing that happened after you married me was you fainted and were unconscious for hours."

Tara sat up onto her elbows, sliding her hands onto Willow's thighs to keep her from moving. "So, what are you saying?" She lifted an eyebrow. "Do you want a divorce? Do you want me to not be married to you anymore? Is that something you want?"

A look of horror crossed Willow's face and she shook her head frantically. "No, no, absolutely not. I love you, Tara."

The blonde released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, nodding. "I love you too, sweetie. I'm sorry that I passed out and scared you so bad. But honey, I'm awake and I feel fine and most importantly, we're married." She slid her hands up Willow's legs to her hips as she sat up all the way, leaving Willow straddling her lap. "Can you just be kissing me now?" Her voice was low and Willow melted against her immediately.


	16. Chapter 15

It was just after ten in the morning when Buffy finally knocked on their door, entering when they called out that it was safe. She cautiously kept her eyes closed until Willow laughed. She was surprised to see that the witches were both actually dressed and out of bed.

Tara lifted her eyebrows teasingly as she went in the bathroom to brush her hair. "We _can_ be responsible enough to make it to our own wedding reception, Buffy."

Willow shot a look at her lover as she leaned over to make the bed. "Don't believe her, Buffy. She barely lets me get out of bed."

The Slayer rolled her eyes at the pair. "You both managed to make it to classes in college. More or less. And you've only missed like, one meal a day since we got here." Tara smirked at her. "But you did just get married. Will, have you even slept?"

The redhead grinned happily at her best friend, shaking her head. "Definitely not."

Tara spoke up to defend herself. "I told her to sleep while I was in the shower!"

Buffy grinned at the blushes that crossed both girls' faces. "But she joined you?" the Slayer asked knowingly. "You two are insatiable."

Tara just grinned. "Well, can you blame me? Look at my wife!"

Willow grinned back at her and came into the bathroom to kiss her. "I'm your wife," she murmured happily. Tara nodded and kissed her again, wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her closer.

Buffy immediately poked her head in the room, interrupting them. "Hey now, none of that. Wedding reception, remember? And you were just trying to prove a point that you can keep your hands off of each other long enough to leave the room."

Tara slowly broke off their kiss. "I must have been out of my mind. What could have possessed me to try and prove that point?"

Buffy grinned. "Possibly some kind of demon. We should go into the living room and we can research it." She laughed as Willow turned her head to pout at her best friend. "And Will, your parents were wanting to talk to you."

The redhead glared as she turned all the way around. "That was low, Buffy. Mentioning my parents when I'm getting smooched by my wife is mean." Tara smiled as Buffy put herself in between them as they came out of the bathroom and joined their friends in the living room. "I'm calling you on your honeymoon and talking about your parents when you're getting smooched and you can see how you like it," Willow hissed at her as they walked out of the bedroom.

Their guests cheered as they came into the living room, Dawn rushing forward to hug both of them. Xander handed them both glasses of champagne, snagging the one from Dawn's hand with a grin. He handed that one to Buffy, the Slayer shooting a glare at her sister.

Everyone congratulated them, clinking glasses until the girls kissed. Buffy laughed loudly. "I just got them to stop that." The newlyweds grinned at her before kissing again.

Willow's parents stepped up as the girls broke apart, and hesitantly hugged their daughter. "Congratulations Willow, dear." Her mother pulled back to hug Tara. "And Tina, welcome to the family."

Willow cleared her throat, shooting a look at her mother. "Her name is Tara, Mom."

Her mother had the grace to look shamed and corrected herself. "Sorry, Tara, of course."

Tara smiled, leaning forward to kiss Willow's mother on the cheek. "No problem Shelia." Willow smirked and wrapped an arm around her wife's waist. She jumped in surprise as she heard Tara's voice in her head. "_Sweetie, you're gloating because she forgot my name._"

Shelia shifted her attention to her daughter. "Willow, are you alright?"

The redhead nodded, looking sheepish. "Yeah, I just thought I heard something." Her mother looked doubtful, but accepted the explanation without comment. "_Sorry, baby. I'll stop. She just bugs me sometimes._"

"So what are you girls going to do for your honeymoon?" Ira chimed in, glancing between all three of the women.

The witches exchanged glances and Willow shook her head. "Nothing really. We're really busy trying to get everyone settled in here. Maybe we can take a trip sometime soon."

Buffy stepped up and cleared her throat. "Actually, that's not exactly right. We all chipped in and got you guys a few nights at the bed and breakfast in town. It's not the fanciest place ever, but it's not here with forty girls."

Willow hugged her quickly. "Buffy, everyone, thank you so much. This means a lot to us." Tara nodded quickly, smiling around the room at them.

"No problem. It'll keep Dawnie away from all the…" Xander abruptly stopped talking, glancing quickly at the Rosenbergs. "…cake…away from all the cake." He coughed nervously as he caught the familiar glance of reproof from Willow's mother.

Willow groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. Tara blushed, glancing uncomfortably around the room full of people who didn't know her very well, including her new in-laws. "Th…th…than…thanks, Xander."

Fred giggled and Faith smirked at them while Buffy rolled her eyes at the slip and Giles hurriedly struck up conversation with the adults, trying to distract them. They broke into small groups of conversations, the witches rushing all over the room to try and talk to everyone. By the early afternoon Willow's parents were tired again and excused themselves to their room for an afternoon nap. Willow saw them leaving and followed them, squeezing Tara's hand as she left.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry we haven't had time to talk much. It's been crazy around here," she apologized, immediately feeling childish. She'd never been good at talking to her parents.

Shelia glanced at girls filing down the hall past them. "That seems to happen a lot around you. You're a very busy young lady."

"Buffy mentioned you wanted to talk to me," Willow said, brushing her hands across her pants legs.

Her mother nodded. "We were curious what your plans are. You never finished college, and now the town is destroyed so it's unlikely the credits will transfer. You're too intelligent a girl not to continue your education. Surely those magical tricks cannot keep you too busy to go back to school."

Willow sighed, battling her frustration. "I just got married today. I haven't really been thinking about school." Her mother looked horrified and she continued quickly. "I will though. I promise. I'll let you know where I end up. Where are you guys going, long term I mean? Are you staying in Scotland, or going home, or what? Well, not home, obviously, because it was destroyed and I don't know anything else about that at all. Only in California can a completely unexpected sinkhole swallow an entire town." She stopped herself with an effort, giving her parents time to answer.

"Well, we've come to Scotland on a speaking tour. We're due in Boston in a week," Shelia answered her.

"Oh, well if you don't have plans until then Tara and I can stay here and you're welcome to stay here at the castle with us," Willow offered halfheartedly, mustering up some false enthusiasm.

Her father shook his head, smiling genuinely at his daughter. "We appreciate the offer dear, but we've got lectures all week. We need to return to the university tomorrow."

"Well, if you have to leave tomorrow, how about we have dinner together tonight? We can go into town and have a nice meal together," Willow offered, grateful to her father for his schedule.

Her mother nodded absently. "Sure, dear. Hey, why don't you bring your girlfriend? That would be nice. We don't know her very well."

"Wife, mother, she's my wife. We're married. You were at the ceremony…yesterday." The redheaded witch could feel her frustration rising and was mentally begging her parents to hurry away to their naps.

"_It's okay, baby. Calm down, Will._" Tara's voice in her head brought a smile to her face.

Her mother absently returned the smile. "Yes, dear. That will be lovely. Come by our room around seven and we can go get some dinner."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll come get you later. Rest well." Willow hugged her mother briefly and turned to return to her reception. "_So, how'd you know I was upset?_"

"_You were practically yelling, baby. I think I freaked Dawn out when I jumped. It surprised me._"

Willow came back into the living room, but stopped to talk to Fred and Gunn while Tara was on the other side of the room talking with Dawn, Angel, and Buffy. They experimented with their mental connection while in their individual conversations, trying to figure out the trick of carrying on two conversations without slipping up.

"_So, I told my parents we'd go to dinner with them tonight since they're leaving tomorrow. Is that all right with you?_" Willow asked while discussing theoretical physics with Fred.

"_Of course it is, sweetie. Is that what was making you so upset? You don't want to take me to dinner with your parents?_" Willow could hear the teasing tone of her lover's voice.

"_Other way around, baby. I'd rather you not know how insane my family makes me. It's not pretty._" Tara's laugher was timed appropriately with her audible conversation.

"_Honey, I can handle dinner with your parents. Trust me._"

"_I do, Tara. It's them I'm nervous about._"

Tara's voice was teasing again. "_I just hope they have pictures of you with them._"

Willow's voice was smug as she responded. "_That is one area where I know I can count on my parents. They're more likely to have plutonium on them than pictures of me._"

"_That's a pity._ _I don't think I've ever seen a baby picture of you. Now they're probably all gone,_" Tara replied regretfully.

They eventually had to excuse themselves to get ready for their dinner with Willow's parents. Buffy was using their guests as an excuse to get out of training and happily escorted them to the kitchen.

Willow was bouncing on her toes as she entered their bedroom where Tara was already in the process of picking out a different outfit to wear to dinner. "How much fun was that?" she asked excitedly.

Tara looked at her with a smile. "Which part, sweetie?"

Willow shrugged, giggling. "All of it. It was all so much fun!" She stopped jumping as she looked at Tara. "You had fun, right? You would tell me if you didn't, right? Did someone say something? Was it my parents? Or Wesley? He's British like Giles, and they don't know about stuff."

Tara shook her head and Willow came over to hug her from behind, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I had a great time, sweetheart. And no one said anything but congratulations and happy talk, I promise."

Willow nodded. "Okay, then what's with the lack of excitement? I'm hyper and jumping around, despite getting no sleep last night, and you're all with the quietness and absence of jumping."

Tara arched an eyebrow. "Well, I've never been the jumpy one in this marriage, my love. I'll leave that to you." She smiled as she noticed the suddenly glazed, slack jawed look on Willow's face. "Willow? You okay?"

The green eyes blinked and finally focused on her. "You said marriage," Willow said.

Tara nodded, laughing. "Of course I did. We got married. It's fairly common to call it marriage."

Willow grinned widely, realizing she was being teased. "Smart ass," she commented as she leaned in for a kiss. She only pulled back far enough to rest her chin on Tara's shoulder while the blonde turned back to looking through their closet for something to wear.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that we've been married for less than a day and you're already calling me names, and focus on not making a fool of myself in front of your parents," Tara said primly, leaning her head against Willow's briefly.

"That wasn't me calling you names! I would never call you names! That was a complement! You know I love your ass," Willow said, pressing a kiss to Tara's neck and shaking her head as her wife lifted a hanger to look at a shirt. "Not that one," she instructed. "Grab that blue one. It makes your eyes pop."

Tara looked at the blue button down blouse doubtfully. "Isn't this one a little…tight for dinner with your parents?"

Willow shrugged, squeezing Tara's waist. "I said it made your eyes pop. I didn't say that it didn't do the same thing to your chest."

Tara rolled her eyes and turned her head to look at Willow. "Honey, I'm trying to make a good impression on your parents, not get us thrown out of the restaurant for having sex in the bathroom."

Willow's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well if that's what's going to happen if you wear this one, then you have to wear it!" she insisted, pointing emphatically at the shirt in question with one hand.

"Willow, I'm being serious."

"So am I, baby!" Willow said, grinning. "Come on. Please?" she added, schooling her face into a playful pout.

Tara kissed her quickly before stepping out of her grip. "Baby, no. I really don't want your parents to think you married some kind of deviant. I actually want them to like me."

Willow nodded, seeing how serious Tara was being about this, and studying the contents of their closet carefully, finally selecting a different blue shirt. "How about this one?" she suggested. "You still get the eye color popping, but, unfortunately for me, without the chest emphasis."

Tara smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Willow. I just want them to think you married someone who deserves you."

"Of course they'll see that, Tara. You're an intelligent, funny, beautiful woman. My parents are self absorbed workaholics, but even they're not blind enough to miss how great you are," Willow said supportively. Tara sighed, nodding and Willow touched her arm to get her to meet her eyes. "What is this about, Tara? What are you nervous about?"

The blonde shook her head. "It's nothing," she said unconvincingly. She finally sighed and her eyes fell. "I don't want to stutter around them. It makes me sound dumb."

Willow blinked in surprise. It had been years since she'd noticed Tara stutter around anyone. "It does _not _make you sound dumb. It was cute. But baby, you don't stutter anymore."

Tara shook her head again with a tiny smile. "I don't stutter around _you_," she corrected her. "I still stutter when I'm nervous though."

Willow frowned thoughtfully. "Really? Why don't you stutter around me?"

Tara shot her a disbelieving look. "You're joking, right?" Willow just shook her head in confusion and Tara moved over to hug her, dropping the shirt they'd picked on the bed. "I don't stutter around you because you make me feel calm and relaxed, just by being in the same room."

Willow cocked her head to one side playfully, looking up at Tara through her eyelashes. "Well, problem solved then. I'll be there with you tonight." She made a face. "I wouldn't send anyone out to dinner on their own with my parents…especially not you." She squeezed Tara gently and gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise I'll be with you the whole time tonight. _And if you ever feel nervous, I'm right here to talk to._"

Tara smiled at her gratefully. "I know, Willow. Thank you." She was about to say more as they both heard a sudden beeping from Willow's phone. Tara arched an eyebrow questioningly. "And what does that beeping mean?"

Willow sighed. "It's a countdown to dinner. We've got thirty minutes before we need to go get my parents."

Tara grinned and shook her head. "That doesn't make me feel any better. How can I not be nervous if you've got a _countdown_ on your phone?"

Willow stood up on her toes to press a kiss to Tara's forehead before she dropped down to kiss her on the mouth. "It's going to be fine. I promise I won't leave you, not even for a second." The phone trilled again and Tara pulled away gently with a smile to change clothes while Willow selected her own outfit for the evening.

Willow knocked on her parent's door half an hour later and hugged them both as they came out of their room. They all climbed into the Rosenbergs' rental car and drove into town, the girls pointing out the bed and breakfast that their friends had booked them at.

They got seated at the restaurant and everyone ordered their drinks. There was quiet at the table as everyone perused their menus and Tara took several long sips of her water to try and calm herself down. She'd gotten much more confident in the years since she'd met Willow, but she was unaccountably nervous now that she was facing the evening spent with the Rosenbergs.

Willow could feel Tara's nervousness and slipped one hand under the table to rest her hand soothingly on her wife's knee, her fingers gently circling on the fabric of Tara's dress slacks. _"You're doing fine, baby. They're not even paying attention to us."_

A glance at the adults showed that Willow was correct. Just then the waiter came back and the elder Rosenbergs pointed out their selections for dinner and handed over their menus. Willow ordered next and Tara took a deep breath before she spoke, barely loud enough for the waiter to hear her. She saw Willow's parents exchange glances and her eyes closed uncontrollably, her hands trembling on the table.

Willow could see her lover's hands shaking and her hand moved from Tara's knee to the back of her neck, moving slowly through the back of her hair. Tara's blue eyes blinked open and looked at her gratefully, and she smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Tara's temple.

She turned her head reluctantly to look at her parents, politely starting the conversation by asking them what their lecture tour was about. She had to hold back a snort of laughter as her mother informed her that she was lecturing from a paper that she'd written about the benefits of proactive parenting on children's GPAs.

"So my good grades were because you were proactive parents?" Willow asked, trying not to smirk and she could feel Tara staring at her incredulously. She left her hand on Tara's neck, her elbow resting on the back of Tara's chair and her fingers still moving through her hair.

Shelia blinked and nodded. "Of course. If you compare your high school grades to your scores in college it's only too obvious that we gave you entirely too much free rein in college." Shelia refrained from glancing toward Tara, but it didn't stop Willow from bristling defensively.

"Mother, I love you, but you will not do that again, or we will leave this table," Willow said seriously, ignoring Tara's voice pleading with her through their connection to let it go.

"Do what, Willow, dear?" Shelia asked arching an eyebrow at her daughter.

"I would have fallen in love with Tara no matter how much rein you gave me in college. We won't sit here and let you insinuate that I wouldn't be gay if you had given me more supervision in college. Tara's part of our family now and you will show her respect." She met her mother's eyes seriously, nodding back when her mother nodded.

"I'm sorry, Tara. I didn't mean to insinuate that you don't belong with Willow," Shelia apologized. "I'm glad that Willow has found someone that she loves as much as she obviously loves you."

Ira coughed uncomfortably. "Well, now that we've had the traditional family dinner butting of heads, why don't you tell us more about yourself, Tara? Willow brags about you every time we talk to her."

Tara blushed brightly, glancing nervously at Willow who just nodded encouragingly, smiling back at her. _"You're amazing, Tara. Just tell them about it. I'm right here."_ Her hand stilled on the back of Tara's neck, just resting there comfortingly.

Tara started talking slowly, stuttering nervously at first and hearing Willow's nonverbal encouragement in her head. Her stutter gradually disappeared the longer she talked and she noticed Willow's triumphant smile as she answered questions as the Rosenbergs posed them.

Eventually the topic of conversation shifted from Tara, a fact she was immensely grateful for. It was only when Shelia excused herself to go to the restroom that Ira brought up what had happened at the wedding. His voice was hesitant as he started to speak. "So…the magic, all those incidents when you were in high school…all of that was real, wasn't it?"

Willow nodded slowly. "It was."

He shook his head in disbelief. "And that green fellow at your wedding? What was he?"

Willow smiled. "That's Lorne. He's a demon from another dimension."

"A demon? Is he dangerous?"

Willow shook her head, laughing. "No, he sings. He owns a nightclub in L.A."

He looked at Tara seriously. "And you're a witch too, like Willow? Is that the proper term, witch?"

She nodded, smiling gently. "Yes sir. I'm a witch too."

He swallowed, looking between the two of them. "I'd ask what really happened to the town, but I don't think I want to know. So what I will ask is, Tara please take care of my daughter." He looked over at Willow. "I know I was never a great father, or even a good father, and I can't imagine what you've been through that you've never even hinted to us about, and I don't expect that will change now that you're grown up." Willow was staring at him in surprise and her father hesitantly touched her hand on the table. "You're a strong, capable woman and I'm sure you're just the same as a witch," he said, looking to Tara for confirmation.

"She is," Tara said proudly, no hint of a stutter in her voice.

He nodded, smiling at her. "I'm sure you are too Tara, and I need you to look after her."

"Oh, Willow's much stronger than I am, sir," Tara protested.

Willow's mouth dropped open. "Tara's a wonderful witch, Dad," she said emphatically, shaking her head at her wife.

He smiled between the two of them. "I'm glad. You need a lot of looking after, Willow. I'm sure now that you needed a lot more than we ever knew, but I'm glad that Tara's around to take care of you."

Willow rolled her eyes, protesting even as Tara nodded in affirmation. They looked at each other and Tara shook her head slightly, smiling. "I'll take good care of her, sir," Tara said, eyes not leaving Willow's until the other girl finally nodded, both of them smiling at each other.

They all looked up as Shelia came back and Willow yawned widely for show, catching her father's smirk out of the corner of her eye. "We can head back now if you girls are tired," Shelia said, making an effort to show consideration. The girls nodded and they left the restaurant and drove back up the dark road to the castle.

They bid the elder Rosenbergs a good night at their door with a promise to see them off in the morning before the girls went back to their own room. Everyone else was in the living room and they joined their friends, curling up on the couch together while Lorne tried to convince Angel to sing for them.

"He does not sing!" Buffy said emphatically. "I don't believe you."

Lorne grinned, shaking his head and waving encouragingly to the scowling vampire. "Oh, he sings, peaches. You wouldn't expect it from such a tough guy, but he actually likes…"

Angel jumped to his feet. "Tell them and I'll find a way to send you back to Pylea," he threatened, pointing warningly at the grinning demon.

Lorne put up both hands and laughed. "Calm down, sugar. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We're all friends here."

Tara glanced down at Willow where the redhead was leaned against her shoulder and gently pushed her up as she slid out from between Willow and the couch. Everyone looked at each other in surprise as Tara stepped up beside the Host. "I'll sing," she said, shyly ducking her head and causing her hair to swing in front of her face.

Lorne laughed at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces and swung Tara around in a hug. "That's the spirit, precious! Let's sing something to show your beautiful new bride exactly how you're feeling tonight," he said enthusiastically and winked at Willow before he leaned over to whisper in Tara's ear. "Do you know that one, sweetie?" She smiled and nodded up at him, waiting for him to start the song.

He hummed quietly for a moment to give her the timing before he started to sing. "There's something in the way she moves…"

Tara's voice trembled slightly as she joined him on the second line. "Or looks my way, or calls my name. That seems to leave this troubled world behind. And if I'm feeling down and blue. Or troubled by some foolish game. She always seems to make me change my mind."

She gained more confidence and she heard him grow quiet as they reached the chorus, leaving her to sing it alone. She was starting to feel slightly embarrassed and kept her eyes on her shoes until Lorne's green finger came up under her chin and gently pushed her head up to meet Willow's amazed gaze.

The redhead's eyes were wide and she smiled encouragingly as Tara looked up at her. Buffy and Xander cheered as Lorne started singing again on the second verse and he slung a supportive arm over Tara's shoulders. The second time he sang the chorus through with her but stopped singing as she started the final verse, leaving her to finish the song. She glanced at him nervously as he stepped back to stand next to where the others were watching and she forced herself to look back at Willow.

Her voice shook a little as she started the final repeat of the chorus and Willow smiled at her. "And I feel fine anytime she's around me now. She's around me now, just about all the time. And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now. She's been with me now quite a long, long time and I feel fine." Her voice faded out slowly and she blinked, smiling at the others as the Scoobies started whooping and cheering. Willow shot out of her seat on the couch and kissed her in a rush, both hands coming to hold her face.

This only caused the cheers to get louder and the girls separated slowly. "I love you so much," Willow whispered. "Thank you."

Tara nodded, smiling giddily, and squeezing one of Willow's hands tightly in hers. Lorne clapped as he stepped back up beside them and turned to point at Buffy. "Now let's see if we can't get the Maid of Honor up here to sing with the newlyweds."

Buffy's smile dropped off her face abruptly and Xander cackled with laughter at her expression. She glared at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him up with her. "If the Maid of Honor is singing, then so is the Best Man," she declared firmly. Xander shrugged and Lorne grinned.

"That's fair, but that makes my next song choice a little awkward," he said. "But you look like a man that can handle it," he declared before bursting into the first verse of 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun.'

The girls started singing along while laughing and Xander rolled his eyes and joined in, singing loudly and off key. He jumped back in surprise as he saw Giles holding up a video camera, a wide smile on his face as he walked around the singing young people.

Xander lunged for the camera as they finished singing, but the Watcher avoided him and tossed the camera to a grinning Faith. She raised an eyebrow at him as he started to chase after it, pulling up short as he saw who held it.

The others laughed and she lifted the camera teasingly. "I don't think you want to try something here, Harris."

"Fine, but if that video ever makes an appearance in public, I will find some way to hurt you," he promised, pointing at her warningly.

"Sure thing, big man. We'll see about that," she said tauntingly.

"Buffy! You'll help me get her right?" he asked, giving the other Slayer a pleading look.

The blonde Slayer shot her dark-haired counterpart a glare. "Damn straight I will. I don't trust you with that tape, Faith."

Faith waved them off, laughing cockily. "I'd like to see you try and get it, B."

The two faced off against her and the others settled in to watch the encounter. Buffy and Xander went around either side of the couch, trying to catch Faith in between them. Willow and Tara relaxed on the couch, laughing as they watched their family enjoy each other. Tara leaned back against the arm of the couch, pulling her legs up rapidly as Buffy tackled Faith in front of the couch, the pair rolling around on the floor.

Willow grinned at them and leaned back against Tara's drawn up legs, squeaking as Tara wiggled her toes against her back. "Did I hurt your toes?" she asked quietly. Tara shook her head and opened her knees, giving Willow room to slide back between her legs. Willow smiled happily and scooted back into the space, leaning back against Tara's front as they watched the continuing scuffle.

Buffy finally managed to get the camera free of Faith's grip and into Xander's hands, after which she declared that everyone should call it a night and gave Xander a triumphant high five. They were all surprised to realize that it was after midnight. They all scattered to their rooms, knowing that their lives would be going back to business the next day as all their guests were leaving.

Willow and Tara climbed into bed wearily, their long days and nights without sleep catching up to them. They curled up together and Willow yawned as she pulled herself in tight against Tara's back. "I love you, Tara. Thank you for singing for me today. It was beautiful."

Tara smiled, her fingers trailing over Willow's arm as it wrapped around her waist. "You're welcome, love. I'm glad you liked it." She could feel Willow yawn again and she gently touched Willow's wedding rings. "Let's get some sleep tonight, baby. We've got a lot of time to make up for this weekend."

Willow pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. "I can't wait." She could still feel Tara playing with her fingers and she was unable to keep herself from nestling closer as her eyes slipped closed.

They got up early the next morning and Tara cooked breakfast for them and they went to see her parents off in the driveway after they finished eating. Willow promised to call them whenever she figured out what she was going to do for school and Tara was surprised to get a big hug from Ira. The redhead swooned dramatically as soon as their car was out of sight, Tara catching her easily.

"You really don't enjoy time with them, do you?" The blonde laughed, hauling her lover to her feet.

Willow shook her head. "I really don't. But now they're gone and we can go on our honeymoon." She turned to look at her wife, grinning widely.

"We really need to thank everyone again for that. I was just planning on sneaking off to hook up in between working and practicing. Now we don't have to sneak," Tara commented, taking her lover's hands and pulling her back inside the castle. "Let's go pack now. We can check in this afternoon."

Willow giggled. "Someone's eager."

Tara raised her eyebrows at her. "Are you seriously surprised by that? There's no way you can be surprised by that."

The redhead shook her head. "No, no surprise. I was just commenting. I'm more than eager too, baby." She pulled back against Tara's hands. "We should do some work on the castle defenses before we leave though."

The blonde nodded with a smile, still pulling her lover back to their room. "Of course, sweetie. We can't just leave it all for Giles. We've only got about half of them cast the way you wanted. We should have plenty of time to do a few more. I pulled the ingredients for the notification spell for the perimeter from the supplies a few days ago, so we can cast that one for sure."

Willow smiled at her as Tara finally stopped pulling them along, releasing her hands. Willow snatched one back, pulling her in again. "And where are you going?" she asked teasingly.

Tara shook her head, smiling crookedly. "Baby, no. If we get started now, we won't get any work done, much less make it to our honeymoon." She leaned back against Willow's tugging, pulling gently away.

The redhead immediately pouted. "But baby, I haven't had any smooches at all today. I need Tara-smooches."

Tara stopped pulling away, squeezing Willow's hand. "You need them?" she asked teasingly, smirking.

Willow's head bobbed up and down quickly and she resumed pulling Tara closer. "Yep. I need them." She kissed her lover gently. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she murmured as she pulled back several moments later.

Tara shook her head, her eyes closed. "No." She swallowed thickly. "We need to get our work done now though." Willow nodded, leaning in for another kiss. Tara kissed her back, her hands coming up to Willow's neck, holding her close. The redhead smiled against her lover's lips and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. As they broke apart Tara pushed back and held her lover at arm's length, warring with her self control. "We have to stop now, Willow." She opened her eyes slowly. "How did you sleep last night?"

Willow frowned. "I slept fine. Why?"

"Are you okay with getting no sleep tonight?" The redhead could tell her lover was barely keeping hold of her restraint and reached up to take one of her hands.

Willow smiled and nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it." She glanced at the table and the piles of spell books they'd pulled for their defensive spells. "Now, let's do some work so I won't feel guilty about leaving with it all not finished." Tara sighed and nodded.

They worked to set up the rest of the spells they wanted to do and split up to cast them. Tara was surprised to feel Willow's power feeding her own as she recited the first spell. She waited until she could feel Willow finish her spell. "_That was amazing, baby. I didn't know it was going to be so intense. Could you feel it too?_"

"_Yeah, I could. I wonder if it's going to feel like that every time one of us casts. Maybe it's less intense if we're casting smaller spells?_"

"_We can figure it out later. I just want to finish this and go on our honeymoon._" Tara responded, glancing up at the noon sun above her, hazy through the clouds that seemed to constantly blanket the sky.

She could feel Willow's amusement and excitement. "_Agreed._ _I'll see you soon._"

Tara finished before Willow and went back up to their room to pack. Willow came up as she was closing the bag. The redhead lifted their bag from the bed, smiling at the light weight. "Doesn't seem to be much in here, baby."

Tara smirked back. "We don't need much, do we? I just figured we could go out to dinner. That's all we'll need clothes for, right?"

Willow shrugged. "We can go out if you want to. I'll go anywhere you want."

The smirk slipped into a grin. "Well, I want to show off my beautiful wife." Willow blushed and Tara pressed a kiss to her temple. "Let's go thank everyone again and we can go."

They found the Scoobies in the training room with a group of newly arrived slayers. Kennedy was in there and suddenly found something to do on the far side of the room. The witches hugged their friends and thanked them again, double checking with Giles to make sure he would be able to handle the remaining defensive spells on his own. After everyone assured them that they would be fine on their own for a few days the girls left, driving into town and checking themselves into the bed and breakfast.

Neither could muster the inclination to go out the first night, ordering room service instead when they got hungry. Saturday morning they had breakfast at the hotel before spending the early afternoon exploring the town. They found a park and Willow pulled her eagerly into the playground, gently pushed Tara down onto a swing before getting behind her and pulling on the chains to pull the swing back. She let it go and Tara kicked her feet to make it go faster.

"Swing with me," Tara said, pointing one hand to the swing next to her.

Willow giggled and took the other swing, holding onto the chain of Tara's swing so that they were moving at the same pace. "Isn't this kind of juvenile to be doing on our honeymoon?" she asked teasingly, loving every second of it.

"Maybe, but I'm not the one who started swinging. You put me on here," Tara objected, kicking hard off the ground to make them swing higher. "Besides, this is fun." She grinned at Willow. _"Not as much fun as the grown up stuff we've been doing, but it's good to go outside sometimes."_

Willow blushed brightly but kept up their swinging and Tara laughed. Willow laughed with her after a moment, both girls pushing off with their feet to get higher. "I'll bet you I can jump farther than you," the redhead challenged.

Tara lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, you think you can? I'll take that bet." She let go of the chain of Willow's swing, kicking harder to gain more altitude while Willow did the same, laughing happily.

"Ready? Set? Go!" Willow said loudly after several minutes and they both jumped clear of their swings. Tara landed farther out than Willow and the redhead tackled her playfully as the blonde sat up, laughing loudly.

They fell back into the grass and Tara grinned up at Willow. "So, what do I win for my stunning victory?"

Willow looked thoughtful, leaning on one elbow in the grass next to her. "Anything you want, love."

Tara raised an eyebrow at that, looking intrigued. "That sounds promising."

Willow looked hopeful, biting her bottom lip. "Maybe should we be heading back to the hotel?" she asked, smiling widely when Tara stood up and extended a hand to her.

"I don't think they'd appreciate anything happening here in the park, so perhaps we should," Tara said, grinning. She poked Willow playfully on the arm. "Tag, you're it," she said, taking off running back down the sidewalk toward their hotel, the redhead quickly in pursuit.

They missed dinner that night, but went out for brunch on Sunday. They checked out that afternoon and slowly drove back to the castle, giddy and laughing as they pulled off the road to stargaze for a bit before the clouds covered the sky and they got back in the car to go back to the castle, their family, and the rest of their lives together.


	17. Chapter 16

Over the next few months it started to feel to the Scoobies as if they were establishing a routine for their lives. The rookie slayers were coming from all over the world for training. Willow and Tara were practicing their magic and getting stronger every day. Dawn went back to school and trained with the witches in the afternoons. Giles started training Xander, Robin, and Andrew as Watchers.

Buffy, Faith, and the other senior slayers spent all day training the new girls while Giles kept the men sealed up in the suite, reading and researching and studying. He did his best to keep from being 'stodgy and British', as Xander called it, and update the training methods as much as he could to equip the men to deal with more than one slayer. Willow and Tara spent most of their days studying in their room or out on the grounds of the castle, practicing spells and testing their new magical connection to each other.

Within eight months they had put all the slayers they could find through training and were now operating as a base of operations. The castle was no longer completely full of rookie slayers, but the best of the best, an elite squad that operated with Buffy to perform the biggest of their missions. Willow and Tara trained witches as they were needed and sent small teams of witches out with their slayer squads.

Giles hadn't managed to find any clues about the lead Saga Vasuki had given them, though not for any lack of trying. However, they were finding more and more frequently that fallen enemies had the same symbol carved into their chests, a straight line with an arch through it with some kind of star above it, but they were having no luck deciphering its meaning.

Within a year they had eight squads of slayers operating over the world and Buffy had added military scuba and paratrooper training to the special skills her squad was capable of. Dawn started her senior year of high school, expressing a desire to go to college at Berkley once she graduated. Willow started training a small squad of slayers with magical abilities to operate within Buffy's squad.

A year and a half after they had closed the Sunnydale Hellmouth, the slayer operation was in full swing. They had ten squads around the globe, five hundred slayers in all. Giles estimated that there were another eight hundred around the world somewhere, but they were unwilling or unable to come to Buffy for training. Giles had determined that the symbol they'd been seeing was a mark representing Twilight, but they couldn't determine if it was the insignia of a group or an individual. They also knew that there was a military group that had formed in reaction to the growth of the slayer population, but they didn't know if it was government sanctioned, or just the actions of extremists.

An alarm before dawn one morning sent the Scoobies rushing to Buffy's room. The room was dark, but a figure was sitting on Buffy's windowsill, the window open, while the Slayer slept uneasily in her bed. Xander drew up short just inside the room as he saw the silhouette of the girl in the window, Willow and Dawn crashing into his back. He hit the light switch and Willow pushed her way to the front as the girl turned her head to face them.

"Amy. What are you doing here?" She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "How did you get in here?"

Amy looked at each of them before her gaze finally settled on the other witch. "You don't look happy to see me, Willow," she commented, a small smile on her face.

Willow scoffed. "The last time I saw you, you turned me into a man I hate."

Amy shook her head, one finger wiggling back and forth in objection while her other hand stayed hidden behind her back. "You chose the form, I just did the spell," she corrected. "So technically _you_ turned yourself into Warren." She spied Tara just behind Willow and her smile widened. "Personally, I thought it was a clever spell myself." She paused, meeting Tara's eyes. "And the kiss to break it…a stroke of genius if I do say so myself." She could see Tara tense, but the blonde witch didn't move and Amy sighed.

The other witch stood up, hands behind her back as her gaze shifted back to Willow. "This is a clever spell too, Willow. I managed to get in, but I can't get out." She smirked, running her eyes over the redheaded witch. "You've gotten much stronger since I last saw you. Rack would've loved it. Do you still taste like strawberry, I wonder?" Tara stepped up beside Willow at that, but the redhead's arm shot out to keep her wife from getting in front of her, shaking her head.

Willow frowned at Buffy, thrashing on the bed but clearly still unconscious. "_Check on Buffy. And stay behind me._" Tara nodded and stepped back, moving closer to the bed. Xander moved with her, keeping Dawn carefully behind him.

"What's going on, Amy?" Willow was keeping an eye on the other witch cautiously. "What's wrong with Buffy?"

Amy was still smirking. "If your friends take another step towards her, she'll be dead." Xander and Tara stopped moving immediately. She lifted one arm, revealing the long hunting knife she'd had hidden behind her back as she walked slowly from the window to the bed, laughing cruelly. "And even if they don't move, she'll never wake up."

Amy lunged, bringing the knife down at the unconscious Slayer's heart. She screamed as the knife clashed against the protection spell Buffy always wore while sleeping, intense pain shooting up her arm. She swore, diving out the window and Willow immediately dove out after her without hesitation. A portal opened up underneath them, closing behind Willow. Tara got to the window a second later and screamed as she saw it vanish. Xander caught her quickly, pulling her back in.

The blonde witch was shaking and Xander hugged her tightly. "Tara, I need you. Will needs you to concentrate right now. Where did she go? You have to tell me where she is. We'll get her back, I swear, but I need you to tell me where she is."

Tara nodded, closing her eyes, squeezing her hands into fists in an effort to stop them from shaking. "She's in California, right outside of Sunnydale."

"Is she okay?" Dawn asked, looking over from trying to wake up Buffy. "Guys, she won't come out of it. There's something wrong with her. Tara?"

The blonde immediately joined them at Buffy's bed, reaching out with her power. "She's been cursed. She's trapped in her dreams."

"How do we get her out of it?" Xander asked, pacing.

Tara looked up at him. "We need someone who loves Buffy to kiss her." He stepped forward, pointing to himself. "Someone who's in love with her," she clarified, looking anxious. "Amy's nothing if not consistent," she said bitterly.

Xander pulled a walkie from his pocket, turning a dial so that his voice was projected throughout the castle, speakers mounted in every room. "Slayer team, get to Buffy's room now! Wicca squad too! Now!"

Tara kept her concentration on Willow, shaking again. She jumped to her feet abruptly. "Xander! They're hurting her. They're cutting her. She's so scared." The strength rushed out of her legs, and she collapsed to the floor, shaking as she felt Willow's pain as though it was her own. The slayers rushed in, glancing at the blonde witch curled up on the floor.

Dawn hurried to her, falling down next to her. "Xander, hurry! We need Buffy, now!"

Xander nodded, pale and scared. "Okay, here's the deal. Buffy has been cursed. She won't wake up until someone who's in love with her kisses her. I need someone in this room to be in love with her or Willow's dead, and Buffy will never wake up. Now, we're all going to close our eyes and someone's going to get this done. Now. Witches, get me that portal open by the time the Slayer's awake," he ordered, shutting his eyes. Dawn and Tara did the same, the other girls following their example.

Kennedy opened her eyes slowly to glance at Satsu standing beside her. The Asian girl was staring at the blonde Slayer on the bed with a look of horror on her face. Kennedy nudged her roommate gently with an elbow, drawing her attention. The dark-haired girl could see the fear for their leader in her friend's eyes and feared that the same emotion was reflected in her own eyes for the captive witch. Over the last year and a half, Kennedy had made great strides towards getting over her ex-girlfriend. Satsu, unfortunately, had not been so successful in getting over her feelings for their leader. In fact, they'd only gotten stronger the more time she'd spent with Buffy, not that their oblivious captain had any idea that Satsu had feelings for her.

Satsu swallowed and nodded, taking a deep breath as she stepped forward and leaned over the unconscious Slayer. The kiss was brief and Satsu jumped back to her spot, unconsciously licking her lips. Kennedy put a comforting hand on her friend's elbow, meeting her gaze sympathetically. Satsu blinked and her expression shifted back to business as Buffy stirred on the bed.

Tara was crying in pain on the floor, Dawn holding her tightly, but Xander could still hear someone move. He kept his eyes closed until he heard Buffy's voice.

"Cinnamon Buns!" The Slayer sat up in a rush, glancing around the room at the others, seeing Tara on the floor. "What happened? Where's Willow?"

Xander helped her up. "Amy put a curse on you. Will followed her out. They went through a portal to Sunnydale. They've got Willow." He glanced at the sobbing witch and leaned over to help her to her feet. "They're hurting her, Buffy. We have to do something _now_." The witches were working at the window and one of them called out.

Buffy rushed to the window, Tara and Xander right behind her. "I'm going in." She looked back at the other slayers. "Satsu, Kennedy, you're with me. You keep them off my back. I'll get Willow back, or I won't be coming back." She looked at Tara seriously. "I promise you. I'll get her back." She squeezed the blonde witch's shoulder.

Tara nodded, tears streaming down her face. "They're killing her, Buffy. I can feel it all. S-s-she's dying. Hurry." The portal crackled to life outside and Xander pulled her away from the window, Buffy waving the other two slayers forward. Kennedy was pale but looked serious, handing the scythe to Buffy.

The Slayer dove out the window without hesitation, the other two following immediately. Xander hugged Tara, the blonde sobbing against his chest. "Buffy will get her back."

His walkie beeped suddenly, Renee's frantic voice on the other end. "Sir, zombies. Climbing the walls. We need help out here." He gestured to the squad, sending them running to support the rest of their team.

He responded on his communicator. "Back up is on the way. Witch squad is busy."

Dawn stepped up beside them, her eyes locked on the window. Xander opened his arm to her, the younger girl hugging them both. He looked seriously at the witches. "You keep that portal open until Willow and Buffy come through. Once they're clear, you close it down." They nodded acknowledgement, keeping their chant going.

Tara kept all of her concentration on Willow, still feeling her lover's pain as if it was her own. She could feel it building as they kept cutting her. She collapsed as it suddenly vanished; Xander's arm the only thing keeping her upright. There was no more pain, but there was also no Willow. Her consciousness was gone. "No…" The word was a groan, the blonde witch unable to muster anything else as she felt her world collapse around her.

It was only minutes later, but it felt like forever before Kennedy and Satsu tumbled out of the portal, falling hard to the stone floor of the second story balcony. They rolled away from the portal, clearing the way for Buffy.

Tara pulled away from Xander abruptly as she suddenly felt Willow's location again, running toward the landing. He and Dawn followed her quickly. They burst through the door, Kennedy and Satsu rushing the other way to help the other slayers. Buffy was on her feet, the witch cradled in her arms. Tara was crying, but managed to stop herself before she crashed into them, satisfying herself with touching Willow's hand. The redhead's eyes were closed, but her fingers curled around her wife's hand immediately. Tara could hear her own heartbeat thundering in her ears, and thought absently that she might throw up.

"Let's get her inside. We need to talk," Buffy said seriously, shifting the witch in her arms. Xander stepped forward to help but Buffy shook her head. "I've got her. I'm okay." They followed Buffy back to their rooms, carrying Willow into the witches' room to lay her carefully on the bed. Tara immediately sat beside her, anxiously touching her face, brushing her hair back.

"What happened, Buffy? What did they do to her?" Dawn asked, sitting down at the foot of the bed. Xander was pacing, watching Willow anxiously.

Buffy looked at the witches on the bed. "It was Amy…and Warren. They're working with the military. And someone called Twilight. They killed Ethan Rayne."

"Warren? Warren-the-guy-Willow-killed-Warren?" Xander asked, frowning.

Buffy nodded, grimacing. "Amy is keeping him alive. He doesn't have any skin, but she brought him back to life. It's really gross looking. And they're apparently involved…which is a whole new world of nasty and makes everyone I've ever dated look like a freaking prince." She looked over at him. "We need to talk to Giles." She looked at the clock. "And Dawnie, don't you have school in a few hours?"

Her sister looked at her in surprise. "I'm in college now, Buffy. I can miss class once in a while. I don't want to leave with Willow like this."

The Slayer nodded, sighing. "Okay. Just make sure you get your homework assignments from someone." Dawn rolled her eyes at her sister but nodded, not putting up a fight.

Xander used his walkie to call for Giles, still pacing. He jumped when Willow groaned, her eyes opening slowly.

The witch turned her head to look up at Tara. The blonde's tears were still streaming down her face, but she was smiling down at Willow. Buffy was on her other side and she turned to look up at her best friend. "Thanks for getting me back, Buffy. Add it to the list of 'I owe you's."

The Slayer nodded, smiling. "Of course, Will. I'll always come after you."

Tara smiled over at the Slayer, swallowing her tears back. "Thank you, Buffy." Buffy nodded, turning to look at Giles as he came into the room.

"Sorry it took me so long. I was on the grounds when the zombies attacked."

"Are you okay? Did they try and eat your brain?" Xander asked, scanning the older man for injuries and standing on his toes to look at the top of Giles' head.

He shook his head, waving Xander away and looking at Willow. "Are you alright, Willow?"

The redhead sat up with a nod, leaning herself back against the headboard. "I'm alright." She spoke to everyone, but her eyes were locked on Tara. She smiled reassuringly, and turned her attention to the others. "I think I'm almost back to maybe sixty percent."

Buffy gaped at her. "No way. How is that possible? There was so much blood." She stopped talking at the look of horror that crossed Tara's face and they all looked at the obvious blood splatters on Willow's pajamas.

Willow shot her a chiding look. "I've been healing myself. I'm not all the way better, but I'm getting there. It might take me a few hours to heal all the way." She glanced up at her wife. "But it would be better if I had a day or two to do it naturally. I healed my brain, at least. That was the major damage."

Tara winced, her hands moving across Willow's face and neck. "I could feel it. You went somewhere …wh…while they were hurting you."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, it was too much. It hurt too much. I pulled my consciousness into a different realm to wait."

Dawn frowned. "Wait for what?"

Willow looked over at Buffy, smiling tiredly. "Waiting for my friends to come get me." Her gaze moved to Xander and Dawn, coming back to rest on Tara. "_I'm okay Tara, really. I love you._"

"_I love you too, baby. I was so scared. I could feel how much pain you were in. When you left your body, I thought you were gone. I thought I had lost you._" Tara could feel her tears welling up again and Willow opened her arm, pulling her wife tight against her.

Buffy looked at them carefully. "Will, you should get some rest. I need to check on the squad." She stood up. "I'll come back and check on you in a little while, alright?" Dawn and Xander left with her, Giles following them out last, looking over his shoulder at the girls.

Willow leaned her head against Tara's. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Tara pulled back quickly, looking up at her, tears running down her face. "Baby, I thought you were dead. I thought my life was over." Her eyes were running frantically over the redhead's face. "What did they do to you?"

Willow hushed her gently, trying to pull her lover's head back down to her. "You don't need to know, sweetheart. It's over, I'm okay."

Tara shook her head, resisting Willow's gentle tugging. "No, Willow. Tell me. What did they do to you?"

Her lover took a deep breath. "How much could you feel?"

"I knew they were cutting you. I could feel you dying. And then you were gone." Tears streamed down her face steadily.

Willow leaned forward to kiss her gently. "I'm okay, Tara. They were lobotomizing me, but I'm okay though, I swear. It's all healed in there." Her wife sobbed and Willow pulled her closer, pushing her head down gently onto her own chest. "Listen, hear the thump-thump. That means I'm alright. I'm right here with you."

"But you weren't. You were being hacked up by the psycho who killed me," Tara objected, her voice angry, her tears soaking into Willow's shirt.

The redhead threaded her fingers carefully into her lover's hair, trying to calm her down. "Baby, Tara, I promise you, I'm okay. Check for yourself." Tara sat up, Willow's fingers slipping out of her hair.

The blonde slipped her own fingers into her wife's red hair, gingerly touching her scalp. "Where did they cut you?" Willow opened her mouth to object, shaking her head, but the look on Tara's face made her think better of it. She guided Tara's fingers to where they had made the first incisions. Her eyes slipped closed as her wife's gentle fingers traced out the cuts. Tara leaned her head down to look closely at her lover's skin, making sure there were no marks. Willow guided her hands to each cut, opening her eyes as she heard Tara start sniffling again.

"Tara, it's okay."

She started to comfort her again, but Tara interrupted her. "Willow, I want to kill them for this." The redhead sat up, grabbing Tara's hands.

"No, baby. No you don't," she objected, but the blonde just shook her head, her whole body trembling. Willow shook her head back. "Tara, no. Please baby, just listen to me. You saw what happened to me after you died. You saw what I did, and what that did to me. I won't let that happen to you. You're too sweet, too good. You can't stay angry like this or it'll kill something inside of you." She looked seriously at Tara, crying herself now. "It'll kill something I love, baby. I can't stand to let that happen."

Tara collapsed onto her, sobbing. Willow just held her, still crying. Eventually Tara calmed down, hiccupping in Willow's arms. The redhead pressed kisses gently to her face, her fingers running through her hair. "You feeling better?"

Tara nodded slowly. "I think so." She lifted her head to look Willow in the face. "Thank you, sweetie. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Willow tilted her head to kiss her. "You'll never have to find out. I'm not going anywhere." She broke the kiss gently, her head dropping back onto the pillows.

Tara sat up on an elbow, sliding the other hand into Willow's red hair. "I love you so much, Willow."

Her wife smiled. "I love you, Tara." She blinked, a sudden feeling of exhaustion washing over her. "Will you rest with me? Please? I'll sleep better with you here."

Tara nodded. "Of course, Willow. You didn't have to ask me. Nothing could get me out of this bed until you're feeling better." She laid on her back, Willow rolling onto her side and putting her head on Tara's chest. The blonde's arm curled tightly around her shoulder and Tara pressed a gentle kiss onto the top of her head.

Willow woke up at the soft knock on the door, glancing at a sleeping Tara as she climbed carefully out of bed, opening the door and stepping out into the living room. Buffy stepped back, surprised to see her.

"I was expecting Tara to answer."

Willow shook her head. "She's asleep. Did you need her for something? I'd rather not wake her up if it's something I can do. She was really upset after you guys left."

Buffy shot her a look. "Of course she was. Her wife disappeared around the world and was being tortured."

Willow took a deep breath. "It was more than that, Buffy. She said she wanted to kill them."

"Oh." The Slayer looked surprised. "Is she okay?"

The redhead nodded, looking at the floor. "I think so. She calmed down enough to fall asleep, at least." She looked up at Buffy. "What do you need?"

The Slayer shook her head. "I was just coming to check on you. How are you feeling?"

Willow smiled. "Peachy. Everything's mostly back to normal. I won't be back to full power until tomorrow morning, assuming I get a full night's sleep."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Knowing you and Tara, that won't happen."

Willow grinned, shrugging easily. "So, call it tomorrow afternoon. As long as we don't need any heavy mojo between now and then, I'll be good to go."

Buffy released a deep breath. "Thank goodness. We were all worried about you, Will."

"I know, Buffy." She hugged her friend tightly. "How are the slayers?"

"A few of them got hurt, no casualties. Renee got stabbed, Xander's upset." The girls were convinced that their best friend had a crush on the slayer, and that she returned his interest, but they couldn't persuade the gun-shy Xander to make a move.

Willow sighed. "She's going to make it, right?" Buffy nodded. "Are they still in denial land?" She nodded again, smirking. "And Giles is filled in on everything?" Another nod. Willow pulled back. "So what are we going to do?"

The Slayer shrugged. "Giles has got word of another rogue. Some rich chick in England. He mentioned sending Faith to talk to her. And we need to work on upping the defenses here once you're feeling up to it."

Willow grimaced. "Yeah Amy got in, so that was bad, but she couldn't get out either, which caused more bad. So…I've got some work to do. Sorry about that, Buffy. We should have been alerted before she had time to curse you."

Buffy shook her head. "Not your fault, Will. I didn't wake up so she couldn't have been in there long."

"Just long enough to curse you," Willow responded bitterly.

The Slayer shook her head again. "I got better." She smacked her lips. "Speaking of that, do you have any idea who it was that kissed me?"

Willow lifted an eyebrow, smiling. "I wasn't even there, Buffy. But you know it was a girl. You looking to make a change? You haven't mentioned that to me…your best friend."

Buffy grinned at her. "Well, you're taken, so I'm not really looking," she teased, bumping Willow gently with an elbow. A distracted look crossed her friend's face and she spoke before the witch could. "Tara's waking up?" Willow nodded, glancing back at her door. "Go talk to her. Make sure she's okay." She grimaced. "It's a _really _bad day if Tara's so angry she's talking about murder." She squeezed Willow's shoulder. "I'll see you guys later for lunch, okay?"

Willow nodded. "We'll meet you in the kitchen at one." She returned to her bedroom, sliding into bed with Tara. "Sweetie, how are you feeling?"

The blonde smiled sleepily up at her, stretching. "You're here."

Willow nodded, smiling gently down at her. "Of course I am. How are you feeling?"

Tara smiled. "I just said. You're here."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Her voice was confused, her fingers sliding through blonde hair.

Tara nodded. "You're here. I'm perfect."

Willow smiled, shaking her head slowly. "I know you are, but it has nothing to do with me." Tara rolled her eyes, blushing. "So, really, how are you feeling? Still angry?" Tara shook her head, fear for Willow apparent in her eyes. "Good. I've been worried about you."

"I worry about you too." Tara's voice was small, her hand coming up to touch Willow's face.

"I know you do, sweetie." She leaned down for a kiss. "How about we both agree that neither of us go anywhere near Warren ever again?" Tara nodded, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye, sliding down into her hair. "We'll be careful, I promise. I'm going to fix the security spells tomorrow once I'm back up to full power."

Tara frowned, running a finger across her lover's cheek. "Are you sure you're up to that?"

Willow nodded, smiling reassuringly. "I'm not there yet, but I'm getting there. I swear."

Tara looked doubtful, but sighed. "I'm just your wife. It doesn't mean I can stop you."

The redhead snuggled closer, leaning down to press kisses across her neck. "I'm glad you were there today. Thank you for saving me. You know, telling Buffy where to come get me."

Tara nodded, tearing up again. "I'm sorry you got taken…tortured." Her voice was choked.

Willow pulled back to look at her. "Baby, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I can't take it when I make you cry."

The blonde tried valiantly to stifle her tears. "It's not you, sweetie. I don't like to think about you like that…being hurt."

Willow leaned her forehead against Tara's, kissing her gently. "He'll never touch either one of us again, I swear." She pulled back to look in her eyes. "He'll never hurt me or you again. I'll make sure of it." Tara nodded, tears hovering in her eyes. Willow pouted down at her. "Sweetie, please don't cry. It breaks my heart." The blonde blinked, smiling, but the tears rolled down into her hair. Willow wiped them away with her thumbs. She whimpered, frowning as more tears followed.

Tara sniffled. "I'm trying, baby. I promise. Just give me a minute." Willow leaned her head on her lover's shoulder, pressing kisses up and down her neck, trying to distract her.

She knew she had succeeded when Tara's hand came up to hold the back of her head. She smiled against her lover's skin, trailing the kisses across her ear and finally landed on her mouth, kissing her deeply. As they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Willow murmured, "There's my girl." She kissed her again. "Feeling better, sweetie?" Tara nodded, breathing heavily.

"God, yes." She pulled Willow back to her. "Need more." She craned up to kiss her again. Willow happily complied, squirming herself closer.

* * *

Buffy looked up as the witches finally joined her for lunch. "Not bad, guys. Only ten minutes late." The girls blushed and the Slayer pushed two plates over to them. "I wasn't actually expecting you to show at all."

"We're not that bad, Buffy," Willow objected.

She shook her head. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. Will, you got tortured this morning, you should be in the hospital right now, not sitting at the table eating lunch. And, barring that, you should be in bed getting the life snuggled out of you."

Tara blushed brighter. "I did my best, Buffy. She needs food too though."

"Not more than snuggles," Willow objected again, shooting a surprised look at her wife.

The Slayer nodded. "I can't comment on the food versus snuggles issue, but I saved you both some food, see." She shot her best friend a look as she pointed at the plates. "Now eat up. I want you both back to one hundred percent as soon as possible."

Tara looked amused. "Yes ma'am. Although, it should be noted, nothing actually happened to me. Willow needs to get her strength back though."

Willow grimaced at both of them. "Jeez, I'd say you two were mothering me if my mother had ever shown any such concern."

Tara leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "It's only because we love you, Will."

She smiled. "I know." She looked over at Buffy. "So what's the deal with the rogue? Anything we should be worried about?"

Tara looked up in surprise. "Rogue? There's a rogue?"

Buffy nodded, grimacing at her plate. "Giles said she's some rich chick in England. She's been using her powers to hunt other slayers. He wants to send Faith to talk to her." She looked up at the witches. "It shouldn't be anything we'll have to deal with personally. I'm sure Faith will be able to handle it."

"Cause she's really good at that," Willow commented sarcastically.

Buffy shot her a look. "She's been doing really well for us. I know you still don't really like her, but she's been a big help."

The redhead sighed. "I know. I know. I'll stop. So we're just waiting and seeing on the rogue. And I'll research in the morning to fix the protections for the castle." She grinned at Buffy. "At least we know the protection spell for you worked like a charm."

The Slayer grinned back. "Thanks for that, Will. I heard I would have gotten skewered without it."

Willow shrugged. "Now I just need to get the rest worked out so it can't happen again." She scowled. "I wish you'd been able to catch Amy and Warren though."

Buffy scowled too. "Yeah, me too. You were the first priority though. I don't regret missing them since you're okay."

Willow could feel Tara's anxiety rising and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Yeah, I'm not going to argue with that decision." She glanced at her lover. "So, what are we keeping you from?" she asked the Slayer.

Buffy shrugged. "I should be training the new class of rookies, but Kennedy and Satsu are covering for me. I'll catch up with them later, maybe. Giles needs some more details about our little incident this morning. While I was trapped in that curse, I was having some wicked specific dreams. He thinks they might have some clues for us about Twilight. So, I'm checking in with him before I report for school."

Willow nodded. "Who'd have thought you'd end up as a teacher?"

The Slayer grinned. "I know…you're the one who was teaching a class while still in eleventh grade."

Tara smiled proudly, grateful for Willow's subject change. "That's my girl."

Buffy smiled gently at the blonde witch, nodding. "She's always taking on too much though."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Not true." She paused. "So, is there anything I can help with this afternoon?"

Buffy shot her a look. "What did I _just _say?"

"What? I'm just trying to help!" the witch protested. Tara squeezed her hand, smiling as her lover turned to look at her.

"We just want you to feel better. You're still not well." Her free hand came up to gently touch the dark circles under her wife's eyes. "Take it easy this afternoon? Please?"

"_You worry too much._"

"_That's impossible, my love,_" the blonde objected, her voice tender.

"_Will you at least stay with me?" _Tara nodded, her smile crooked. "Fine. I'll chill out this afternoon." She looked at Buffy. "Tomorrow, it's back to work though. We can't afford any more incidents like this morning. We need you safe."

"We need you safe too, Will," Buffy reminded her, Tara nodding her agreement, her fear rushing back into her face.

The witch nodded, looking carefully at her wife. "Buffy, thanks for waiting on us for lunch. I'm feeling kind of bleaghy. I think I'll go lay back down." The Slayer nodded, watching as her friends stood up and went back upstairs.


	18. Chapter 17

They continued to get reports of the rogue for the next two weeks while Faith and Giles were figuring out a way to get in to see her. A birthday party provided the opportunity they needed and Giles went to meet Faith in England. The rest of them stayed busy, new arrivals showing up constantly. Tara had taken over Dawn's magical training while Willow was constantly tweaking the defensive spells for the castle and working with the Wiccan squad, never satisfied with either and spending more time each day working than she had the day before. The two witches saw each other at meals and as they collapsed into bed at night.

Faith and Giles had been gone for a few days and everything Buffy was hearing from Giles sounded pretty bad. The girl, Genevieve, was obsessed with killing Buffy and had been capturing other untrained slayers and using them as hunting fodder. Buffy hung up the phone after his latest update and went looking for Willow. Xander mentioned that the witches were outside on the balcony and she mentally decided to fill Willow in and get out of their way. She knew her best friend had been looking forward to some time alone with her wife.

The Slayer found Willow and Tara laying blankets out on the balcony of the second floor. "What are you guys up to?" she asked, smiling at them.

"We're going to try for some star gazing if it clears up once the sun goes down," Tara answered, folding the blankets double so they would be more comfortable. "I've got some more constellations I want to teach Will." She smiled affectionately at her wife.

Willow straightened up from putting pillows down, smiling back at her before turning to look at Buffy. "What have you heard from Faith? Any luck with the rogue?"

Buffy shook her head, scowling. "No, it's really not looking good. Faith doesn't think we'll be able to save her. And she's completely obsessed with killing me."

Willow looked concerned. "So what are we going to do?" The Slayer didn't have time to answer, abruptly vanishing from in front of the stunned witch. "Tara! I need the walkie." The blonde tossed it to her quickly and Willow tuned it so that her voice projected across the grounds. "Wicca team to the second floor balcony! Now! Xander, we need you up here!"

Xander was there within a minute. "Buffy was coming out here to look for you. Where is she?"

"We were just talking, she disappeared," Willow said, anxiety overpowered by her formidable self control. "Call Giles."

Tara reached out with her magic, searching for the remnants of what took Buffy as Xander frantically dialed for the Watcher.

"Giles, Buffy just got snatched. She was here and then she just vanished." He paused, listening. "She's there? Is she okay? Can you get to her?" He listened again. "Okay, I'll tell the squad. We'll either get them out, or we'll find a way to break you in. Send us the coordinates." He snapped the phone closed as the Wicca squad rushed onto the balcony.

"Listen up! Buffy and Faith are in England. They're trapped in some kind of force field. Giles is trapped outside with no way in. We need to get him in, or get them out." He looked at the squad of witches. "Tara, any help on what took her?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'll go get the book we need." She rushed out and ran back in with a thick book a minute later. She flipped open to the page they needed, extending it to the witch squad. "This ritual should get them out. We'll have to do a separate ritual for each of them."

"You heard her. Three squads. Get the supplies and get it done," Xander barked, handing his phone to Tara as Giles sent the location. Three of the witches rushed to the supply room, running back as quickly as they could.

Willow set up one of the ritual preparations herself while Tara watched the other girls. They finished setting up and Willow spoke up. "I'll get Buffy. Tara, get Faith. Last spell, get Giles."

They nodded acknowledgement, beginning their rituals. Willow and Tara cast in unison, energy crackling around them. There were two loud sounds like thunder and the Slayers were standing in front of them, the two girls soaking wet.

"Buffy, Faith, what happened?" Xander cried, jumping forward to pat the girls on the back. They were both coughing, and Buffy put one hand on his shoulder.

"We fell in a pool. That bitch was fighting me, and her pet sorcerer snatched B," Faith answered, coughing up water.

There was another loud sound and Giles was standing there, a book in his hands.

"So the talking wasn't working?" Xander asked, glancing at Giles, the older man covered in dirt with blood dripping from his fingers.

Faith shook her head. "It kind of ended after she came after me with an axe." She looked at the Watcher. "I've got to finish the job. Can the witches send me back?"

Giles shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Faith. They're both…contained."

She looked carefully at the older man. "Giles, you're sure?"

He nodded, looking down at the book in his hands. He extended it to Buffy, wiping the blood on his handkerchief.

"That's not yours is it?" Tara asked anxiously.

The Watcher shook his head. "No, not mine. I'm alright."

"The rogue is dead?" Buffy asked, straightening up from coughing.

Giles nodded, a strange look on his face. "She fell on her axe. And her magician's head exploded. It was the damndest thing I've seen in a long time." His voice was emotionless.

She sighed, understanding. "I'm sorry, Giles. Faith, are you alright?"

The dark haired Slayer nodded. "Thanks for the save. I totally could have taken her, but thanks anyways."

Buffy smirked. "I know you can handle yourself. At least stay here tonight before you head back to your squad though. They're not expecting you back for a few more days anyway."

Faith nodded. "No one moved my room, did they?" Buffy shook her head. "Great, I'm gonna go change. Holler if you need anything from me." She walked out, leaving wet puddles behind her, her boots squeaking. Willow frowned, looking around, and Xander dismissed the witch squad, the girls following Faith out.

Buffy looked around at the blankets and pillows that had been kicked out of the way during the commotion. "Sorry we wrecked your date. Thanks for getting us out of there."

Willow nodded, sighing. "No problem. Guess I've still got kinks to work out with the defensive spells." She looked at the book in Buffy's hands. "And now we have shiny new research to do too." She looked at Tara regretfully. "I think date night's going to have to wait. I'm sorry, baby."

Tara shrugged, looking up at the sky. "No problem. It looks like it's going to be overcast tonight anyway." She smiled reassuringly. The Scoobies all trooped back inside, Tara and Willow lingering on the balcony to collect their blankets and pillows.

Willow groaned as she saw that the pillows had become unfortunate victims of the water Buffy and Faith had splashed when they came back. She lifted one, frowning at the dripping. Tara was folding the blanket, watching her wife without saying anything. Willow stood up, her frustration obvious. The pillows were dripping from each hand and Tara stopped her as she started to go back inside.

"Willow, what's bothering you? You're too frustrated for it to just be about missing date night." She kept the blanket folded over one arm as she reached the other out to her wife's shoulder.

Willow shook her head. "I can't get these defensive spells right. Stuff keeps happening inside the castle. It's my job to fix it and I'm running out of ideas. I don't know what else to do. None of us are getting any sleep. We haven't been alone in days. It's all falling apart and I don't know what to fix first. We're out of our league trying to fight this Twilight guy. He's got people everywhere." She was in full babble and gradually stopped at the look of dismay on her lover's face. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to unload like that. Shutting up now."

Tara shook her head, frowning. "Baby, no. You have to talk to me about stuff like this. You'll make yourself crazy trying to deal with all of that in your head. Let's start with something easy, okay? Well, easier at least. I'll help you with the research for more defensive spells. We'll get it done, and we'll be spending time together. Two birds with one stone."

Willow shot her a look. "That doesn't count."

Tara smiled crookedly. "Oh yeah? Why not?"

The redhead shook her head. "Time with you doesn't involve research." She grimaced. "Or it shouldn't anyway."

Tara shrugged. "I'll take anything I can get. As long as you're there, I don't care what we're doing."

"Well, I'm going to be more selfish and picky. I miss you, baby." She took a deep breath, glancing up at the sky. "I was looking forward to our date all week."

Tara sighed, nodding. "I was too, but there's nothing we could do. Buffy needed us."

"Oh, I know that. I don't blame Buffy. I blame these rogues, and Twilight, and the military. Whoever is keeping us up every night researching, and studying, and constantly having to come up with stronger defensive spells." The exhaustion and bitterness were rampant in the witch's tone of voice.

"What about going to see Tichajt? He's been helpful before when we've been at a loss. Maybe you and Buffy could go talk to him?" Tara suggested, stepping up behind Willow and wrapping an arm around her waist. The redhead leaned into her immediately, the blanket dropping to the ground between them as Tara's other arm curled around her.

"That's a good idea. He might be able to give us something to go on. Hopefully, Giles and I can get something useful out of the book." The demon existed in another realm and could see the course of events throughout time from his home. Willow took a deep breath, turning her head to look at Tara. "We should get in there to help. Thanks for calming me down."

Tara nodded, releasing her lover reluctantly. Willow started to go back in the castle and Tara couldn't stop herself from calling out to her. "_Not everything is falling apart, love. You'll always have me._"

The redhead stopped in her tracks, surprised to feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. Her mind absently noted that the pillows were dripping on her feet. Tara stepped up beside her, curling an arm through hers. "Let's go put this stuff up and we can help with the book." She leaned her head against Willow's. "We can talk to Buffy about going to see Tichajt, too." She pressed a kiss to her lover's temple. "We'll get it worked out. I promise."

Willow turned her head to look Tara in the eye. "Every time I think I can't possibly love you any more, you come along and reset the scale. How do you do that?"

The blonde shrugged, smiling lovingly at her. "It works both ways, sweetie." She took a deep breath. "We should go help."

Willow nodded and they started moving again. The others were sitting at the table, reading the book Giles had taken. They went into their bedroom to drop off their blanket and pillows. Tara dropped the blanket at the foot of the bed while Willow went into the bathroom to put the pillows in the shower so the water wouldn't get all over the floor.

"I guess we'll have to share a pillow tonight, we only have one left," Tara called, raising her voice slightly so that Willow could hear her in the bathroom.

The redhead poked her head out the door of the bathroom, smiling at her. "That doesn't sound so bad." She glanced back at the mess in the bathroom. "I'll just strip these pillow cases off and squeeze as much of this water out as I can, and I'll join you in a minute."

Tara nodded, smiling gently. "Okay, sweetie." She seated herself at the table, listening to the discussion absently, looking up as Willow came in. She knew that she had managed to calm Willow down for the moment, but was now concerned about how much tension her little redhead had been hiding. They scoured the book for hours, looking for anything to give them a lead. Willow explained Tara's idea of going to visit the demon to try and get their bearings. Buffy agreed to go with her the next day. Everyone was exhausted when they finally called it a night after two in the morning.

Willow and Tara got ready for bed in silence, Tara coming out of the bathroom as Willow was pulling their blankets back. Willow climbed in, waiting for her wife. Tara stayed standing next to the bed, not joining her. "Will, can you do something for me?"

Willow shifted to look up at her. "Yeah, of course. What do you need?"

"Just, could you turn onto your tummy?" Tara asked, smiling reassuringly. Willow frowned, looking confused. "Just trust me, please."

"I trust you," Willow murmured, rolling over. Tara slid onto her knees on the bed next to her, her hands sliding across her lover's back, under the bottom edge of her tank top. Her fingers pressed gently into Willow's tense muscles, a groan tearing itself from the redhead's throat.

Tara's hands stopped momentarily. "That doesn't hurt, does it?" Willow's head shook minutely, and Tara resumed her work on her wife's back. "Tell me if it hurts you and I'll stop." Her fingertips worked their way up Willow's back, pressing harder whenever they found a knot in the muscles. She encountered more as she reached her lover's shoulder blades, feeling a big one on the right side. She gently pulled Willow's arm so it was lying over her head, moving the shoulder blade enough for Tara to massage the knot until it loosened.

Willow groaned loudly as she felt the tension release some. "Thank you, baby. That one's really been hurting. It feels like it presses on my ribs when I breath."

Tara frowned, knowing her lover couldn't see it. "You should have said something. I would've done this sooner."

Willow sighed, her eyes closed as Tara's finger continued working. "I didn't want to ask you to do this."

The blonde scoffed audibly. "Will, it's not like it's a burden. I want to take care of you. You _are_ my wife, I do kind of love you." Her fingers pressed harder as she reached the tops of Willow's shoulders. Both sides were solid tension and Tara groaned herself as she felt the hard chords of tense muscle that continued up into Willow's neck.

"I know you do. That's never the question. I just don't want you to feel like I expect you to do this for me. If you're tired, you don't have to keep going. I feel a lot better." Tara could tell she was speaking the truth, the redhead's voice was sleepy and she was obviously fighting to stay awake.

The blonde leaned over to press a kiss to her lover's shoulder. "I know you don't expect it from me. I wish you would though. You can't be comfortable like this."

Willow's shoulders moved in a slow shrug. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"I know that. That's not the point. My point is that you're uncomfortable and tense. I want to make it better," Tara objected, both hands working on one side. She could feel some of the muscles loosening gradually and shifted one hand to her lover's neck.

"You always make it better. You don't have to give me a massage to make it better." Willow's words were coming more slowly as she neared oblivion.

Tara leaned over again to whisper to her. "I know that, sweetheart. Just let me, okay? I want to." The redhead's only response was a quiet whimper as another pocket of tension released. Tara's hands moved to the other shoulder and she looked thoughtfully at her lover. "Will, can you turn your head the other way? I need to get to your neck." The redhead turned slowly, her eyes staying closed. Tara leaned over to press a kiss to her lover's temple. "Thank you. Now, I'll finish this, and you just stop trying to stay awake. I'll see you in the morning."

"Love you," Willow's murmur was barely audible, but Tara smiled gently and returned it.

"_I love you too._" Her hands worked steadily on the other shoulder, finally satisfied after a majority of the tension was gone. Her fingers had been rubbing so long they continued to twitch after she took her hands off Willow's back. She carefully covered the sleeping girl up with their comforter and went into the bathroom, running her hands under hot water to try and relax them. Her fingers finally slowed their twitching, and Tara climbed wearily into bed. Willow was still lying on her stomach with her head on their only pillow, so Tara rested her head on her lover's back, slipping an arm across her waist.

Willow woke up the next morning without having moved at all throughout the night. That was a rare occurrence, her recent stress keeping her tossing and turning. One arm was stretched up above her head and she brought it down without looking, inadvertently elbowing Tara in the back of the head.

The blonde recoiled, sitting up with a cry. "Ow! What?" Willow sat up instantly, pulling her arm back into her chest. "Oh, sweetie, did I hurt you?" Tara asked as her wife grabbed her arm.

Willow gaped at her. "I just hit you in the head, and you're asking if you hurt me? You mean, did you hurt me with your head hitting my elbow?" She shook her head. "You're unbelievable. You spent all night rubbing my back, to make me feel better, and how do I thank you? I smack you in the head!"

Tara frowned. "Will, are you mad at me? What's wrong?"

The redhead shook her head, sighing. "No, I'm not mad. I'm sorry. Of course I'm not mad. I'm just a horrible woman who hits her wife in the head."

"Hey! I don't want to hear stuff like that about my wife. You're perfect," Tara objected, still frowning at her.

Willow took a deep breath, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "Thank you for last night. You're too sweet. How's your head? Let me see it."

Tara's frown shifted to an amused smile. "There's my spazzy girl." Willow pouted and Tara leaned her head down so the redhead could inspect it for herself. "It feels fine. It just surprised me." She tilted her head back up to look at her lover. "How's your back?"

Willow rolled her shoulders, smiling. "It hasn't felt this loose in years. Thank you so much."

Tara looked sternly at her. "Willow, all you have to do is tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it." Her expression faded into a smile. "I'll do my best, anyway. I just want to take care of you."

Willow leaned in for a kiss, sighing into her wife's mouth as the blonde immediately responded to her. The redhead slipped both hands into Tara's hair, holding her into the kiss. The blonde's hands were moving too, slipping down to pull her closer by her hips. They broke apart gradually, Tara still pulling her lover closer. Willow slid the rest of the way so she was sitting next to the blonde on the bed.

"Tara, can you do something for me?" The blonde nodded and Willow smiled, gently running her fingers over her wife's face. "Lay on your stomach?" Tara quirked an eyebrow, but did as she was asked. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt Willow's lips on the back of her neck.

"What…?" Her voice stuttered as she felt heat radiate from the spot where her lover's mouth was touching her skin. "What are you doing?" Willow's hands slipped down her sides, pulling the bottom of her shirt up slightly.

Willow paused in her actions as the question registered. "Oh God, it's been too long if you can't remember." She smiled against Tara's skin.

"It's been too long," Tara agreed from underneath her, rolling over to look Willow in her face. "I just assumed you would have some work you needed to do. Aren't we supposed to work on the defenses today? And you and Buffy are leaving this morning, right?"

The redhead scowled. "Now, not only do I hit my wife, I deprive her too."

Tara stopped her with a hand over her mouth, smiling as Willow's lips kissed her palm. "Stop it. Baby, you don't have to seduce me. I'm already yours." She tapped her own lips gently with one finger. "Now, come here and kiss me."

Willow smiled at her. "You were so sweet to me last night, I was just trying to return the favor."

The blonde nodded, smiling affectionately. "I know that, and I appreciate it, but right now honey, I just need you." Willow touched her face gently and Tara turned her head to capture her lover's finger in her mouth. Willow's green eyes widened before sliding closed at the sensation. Tara let it go slowly, her tongue running along the length of it. "I've missed you, lover. Your hands. Your lips." Willow groaned, dropping her head against Tara's chest and the blonde giggled. "That wasn't where I was pointing, but I'll go with it."

* * *

Willow felt Tara move against her as the blonde slowly caught her breath. Willow tilted her head down to press a kiss to her head.

"Wow, you really did miss me," Tara breathed, resting her head on Willow's shoulder. She looked up at her lover. "When do you have to leave?"

Willow's shoulder moved underneath her head in a shrug. "We didn't really decide on a time." She yawned. "Or if we did, I don't remember it," she corrected herself, stretching.

Tara was kissing her neck gently. "I'm sorry you're tired, Willow."

Willow shook her head, smiling sleepily. "Don't be. I'm more than happy about it."

Her wife smiled against her neck. "You haven't been sleeping good. I should have let you rest."

"If I remember correctly, I'm the one who woke you up," Willow objected. "And I shouldn't have been neglecting you. I'm sorry I've been letting other things get in the way."

Tara leaned up on her elbow. "Sweetie, no. I understand. You've got a lot to do here, things that you're responsible for."

Willow frowned. "No, Tara, you're who I'm responsible for. You're my wife. I shouldn't have let myself forget that."

"Willow, you're too hard on yourself, my love. I know how much you love me. I'm not going to forget. You don't have to prove anything to me," Tara stated, making sure she was looking straight into her lover's eyes. "The only thing I need from you is to know that you're as happy and safe as possible." She leaned up to kiss her gently. "That's all I need."

Willow groaned as there was a knock on the door. She made sure both of them were covered with the blanket before she called out. "Come in." She snuggled closer to Tara as the door opened, Buffy poking her head in.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm always busting in on you two like this. I was just coming to see when you wanted to leave." She smiled at the pair. "At least we won't be gone more than a day." She paused, thinking. "How are we getting there anyway?"

Willow grinned at her best friend. "I thought we'd fly."

Buffy and Tara both simultaneously gaped at her. "You can fly?" Buffy asked, echoed a second later by Tara.

She grinned at both of them. "I've been practicing for a while." She looked at Tara. "You didn't notice?"

The blonde shrugged. "I knew you'd been trying some new stuff, but I was busy with Dawn. I guess I didn't realize you were learning how to fly." She looked carefully at Willow. "You're being careful, right?"

Willow nodded. "Of course. You would know if it had gotten out of control."

Tara shook her head, smiling. "I meant you're watching out for trees and birds, right?" The redhead laughed, nodding. Tara smiled. "Good girl. Does that mean…? Can you take me flying sometime?"

Willow grinned, leaning forward to kiss her. "Of course. I'd love to take you flying with me."

Buffy spoke up. "Um…well, if you're sure, I think Tara should be your first manned…woman-ed flight. I'm pretty sure you've got more motivation not to drop her."

Willow rolled her eyes at her best friend. "I'm not going to drop you!"

Tara grinned over at her. "What do you say, Will? Want to take me flying today?" She turned her gaze to her wife.

The redhead was grinning widely at her. "Let's see, do I want to go flying with my wife? I'd have to hold onto you really tight and we'd be pressed really tight together." She wrinkled her nose playfully. "That sounds horrible."

Tara winked at her, glancing at Buffy. "You're making me not want to let you take Buffy."

Buffy's mouth dropped open. "Tara Maclay…um…actually, what is your last name now? How did you guys work that?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "We've been married for over a year and this occurs to you _now_?"

"So I got a little distracted at the ceremony. Just tell me so I can scold her."

Tara shot her lover a look. "She's teasing you, Buffy. We never changed our names." She looked at Willow more seriously. "We never really talked about it. Do you want to?"

Willow looked at her thoughtfully. "We can if you want to. All that matters to me is that you're wearing my ring and you're in my bed. Everything else is just extra as far as I'm concerned."

Tara looked amused. "That sounds fine with me. I care that you love me too, but the other stuff is also good."

Willow rolled her eyes with a grin. "That goes without saying. Even you wearing my ring and being in my bed mean nothing if you don't love me."

Tara mimed wiping her forehead. "Well, at least now I know you don't just want me for my body."

Willow shook her head, smirking. "It's all of you; that's what I'm completely in love with." She lifted the blanket to peek under, careful to make sure Buffy couldn't see anything. "Yup. I love every single bit of you," she declared as her head came back out, a wide grin on her face.

"Willow!" Tara was blushing brightly.

The redhead shrugged unrepentantly. "Buffy has eyes. She knows how beautiful you are." She leaned over to kiss Tara quickly. "And anyone can see how much I love you."

The Slayer was blushing herself, smirking at the antics of the two witches. "Actually, I've had rookies ask me about each of you."

"What? Who?" Willow asked, surprised. Tara arched an eyebrow at her, smirking, and the redhead quickly clarified. "So I can explain to them how _very _married I am." Tara was still staring at her and Willow continued, tightening her arms around Tara. "Also, so I can glare malevolently at anyone who sends inappropriate looks at my wife."

Buffy laughed. "Smooth, Will. Very smooth."

"Hey! How about we get dressed, and I'll take you flying? That would get me out of trouble, right?" Willow said, smiling at Tara pleadingly.

The blonde laughed, leaning over for a kiss. "You're not in trouble, silly. I'm just teasing. I'm fine if the rookies acknowledge how gorgeous you are. I know I have nothing to worry about."

Willow blushed and Buffy laughed again. "I'm gonna go out here and let you guys get dressed. And I'm going to see if Xander has a video camera I can borrow, cause this is going to be funny. I'll meet you in the field behind the castle."

By the time the witches got dressed and made it down to the field Buffy was already there with Xander and Dawn. Xander held up the camera with a grin.

"Buffy says you can fly!" Dawn said excitedly. "Can you teach me?"

Buffy shot a panicked look at Willow, shaking her head behind her sister's back.

"Um…maybe, Dawnie," the witch said, not meeting the younger girl's eye.

"Buffy!" Dawn whined, whipping around to glare at her sister.

"How about once I get back, we can talk about it?" Buffy suggested. "And, if you learn, you have to swear that you'll never go high enough for an airplane to be an issue."

Tara's eyes widened at the thought and she grabbed Willow's arm tightly. "You have to promise that too."

The redhead laughed, stopping as the look on her wife's face didn't change. "What? Seriously?"

Tara nodded emphatically, biting her lip. "Please? Promise me?"

Willow relented with a sigh. "Okay, fine. I promise I won't fly high enough to deal with airplanes."

Xander laughed and mimicked the sound of a whip cracking. Tara shot him a look, stopping him. "Do you want your best friend to get sucked through an engine and die?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

Xander glanced around with his one good eye. "Um…no."

Willow grinned at him, laughing at the chagrined expression on his face. He stuck his tongue out at her and she instantly returned it. Tara squeezed her arm, shooting a look at her. "Let's do this then," Willow said, pulling her tongue back into her mouth. "Do you want me to go alone first, and then take you up, or are you ready to go?" she asked Tara, smiling at her.

The blonde glanced at the sky nervously. "I'll go with you. What do you need me to do?"

Willow grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You can stand on my feet if it'll make you feel better. Otherwise, you just have to hang on." Tara slipped her arms around Willow's neck and nodded. The redhead took them up slowly, laughing at the exclamations from their friends. Tara looked around excitedly as they rose, Willow changing directions slowly. Tara laughed as Willow steered them through a figure eight. Eventually, Willow put them back on the ground.

She turned to look at Buffy. "What do you think? Ready to go?"

The Slayer glanced at Tara and nodded. "Sure, Will. I might just hang onto your back though. I don't want anyone accusing me of making moves."

Xander coughed loudly as Tara shot him an amused glance. Willow grinned at both of them. "That's fine." She turned to look at Tara. "Well, I'm not sure how time works in his place, but we'll be back as soon as we can." She tapped her forehead. "I'll let you know when we're heading back."

Tara nodded, smiling. "Okay. Be careful, both of you." They kissed briefly. "_I love you, Willow,_" she added in her head.

"_I love you, Tara. I'll miss you." _Willow grinned as she crouched down, Buffy staring at her. "Piggyback ride?"

The Slayer shook her head, looking doubtful. "I can't just hold on while you take off?"

Willow shrugged, standing up. "Sure. I was just kidding with you." They took off slowly, Buffy letting out a screech, holding on tighter around Willow's shoulders. The witch turned them so they were parallel to the ground, leaving Buffy lying on her back. "Is that better? And watch out with the super strength around my neck. We're definitely going to crash if you choke me and I pass out."

Xander went back to work after the girls were out of sight while Dawn and Tara stayed outside to do their magic training for the day. Dawn left after they finished to go back to school for the week and Tara went inside to do some more research for their still lacking defensive spells.

She was going up the stairs when she noticed that Kennedy was going down on the opposite side. Before she realized what she was doing, Tara called out to stop her.

The dark-haired slayer turned reluctantly on the stairs, not saying anything. Tara stopped, leaving a few steps in between them. "Hey, sorry. I don't want to keep you from anything, I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing Willow a few weeks ago."

Kennedy looked uncomfortable. "Buffy got her out. I was just the backup."

Tara shook her head. "That doesn't matter. I just wanted to say thank you. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost her."

"I kind of know that feeling myself," the other girl muttered, and Tara winced.

"Yeah, I know you'll never believe me, but I…I've only ever wanted Willow to be happy. Th-th-thank you for that too. She was happy with you." She sighed as her stutter reappeared.

"I guess it wasn't enough, was it? The second you showed back up, I was out of there," the slayer responded.

Tara took a deep breath. "I know, but I wasn't planning on coming back. I was planning on waiting for her. I'm sorry it turned out the way it did for you though."

Kennedy frowned. "Yeah, everybody's sorry."

Tara raised one eyebrow. "We are. I know that doesn't change anything, but we are." She gasped uncontrollably as she felt her connection to Willow abruptly vanish. Her hand went to her head and she could feel herself instantly grow worried. She had really come to rely on her link to her wife and couldn't stop herself from getting anxious whenever she couldn't reach her. It took a few moments to realize that Kennedy was staring at her as if she was crazy.

"It's Willow, she's in a demon's realm and I can't feel her anymore." She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Kennedy's mouth dropped open. "You can track her? Like, she's lojacked or something?"

"No, it's not like that. We can communicate with each other and determine location if we concentrate. It was the ceremony we used for our wedding."

"Well, I think it's weird. Willow doesn't need anyone looking over her shoulder," the slayer declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tara nodded. "No, she doesn't. That's never what it was about. It was her decision to do it. And the connection is how we found her when she got taken by Warren and Amy."

The other girl was frowning at her. "Is that why you didn't go after her? So you could tell Buffy where to go?"

The blonde shook her head. "No. I'd follow Willow into hell itself. The portal closed before I could get to it."

"So how come you didn't go in with us?" Kennedy challenged, realizing that she was being rude, but unable to stop herself. She'd been avoiding the couple as best as she could since they'd moved to Scotland and she really was doing her best to deal with her feelings for Willow, but being caught unawares by her former girlfriend's wife had made her overreact.

Tara sighed. "The connection got broken. I thought she was dead. You saw me, I was in no condition to go with you." She took a deep breath. "Willow might have killed someone if I'd been anywhere near Warren again, too."

"How come? You've all met the skinless guy before, right? I saw him when Willow turned into him, but he had skin then."

Tara nodded sadly. "Willow's the one who did that to him, after…after he killed me."

"So putting you near him again might have pushed her over the edge?"

"Possibly. I'd rather not find out though. Her control is much better now, of course, but it is probably safer for everyone if we don't put her to that test." She swallowed. "And I'd rather not get shot again, if at all possible."

The slayer cracked a tiny smile. "I imagine you'd rather avoid that."

Tara smiled crookedly, glancing at her hands distractedly. "Well, I should let you go. I'm sure you've got work to do and I'm going to try and get some work done for Willow while she's gone. Thanks for stopping to talk to me. I get it if you go back to ignoring me."

She turned to continue up the stairs, but Kennedy's voice stopped her. "I wouldn't say ignoring…more like avoiding. Sorry if I've been coming off bitchy…I just…well, I still…I loved her and it hurts like hell that it wasn't enough to keep her."

"Willow's a tough one to get over," Tara agreed, sighing.

Kennedy nodded. "I have been trying though. It's just going to take a while."

"I completely understand. I don't want to make it harder for you."

Kennedy smiled sadly at her. "Willow always said you were sweet. I wouldn't have believed she was so right if I hadn't met you." Tara nodded uncomfortably, blushing. "Well, good luck on your magic stuff. I'm covering for Buffy in the afternoon training session. I'm probably late now."

"Sorry I kept you. I just wanted to say thanks."

Kennedy paused on the stairs, facing her again. "I don't have to tell you that if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Tara smiled. "If I hurt her, you're more than welcome to kill me." Kennedy nodded and they turned their own ways to keep going.


	19. Chapter 18

Tara went to work on the defensive spells, trying to find the key to keeping portals from appearing in and around the castle. She was doing her best to keep herself distracted from her anxiety over not being able to sense Willow. When their connection finally snapped back in hours later, she couldn't resist contacting her immediately. "You okay?"

_"You missed me?"_ She could hear Willow's amusement.

_"Every second. I get worried when I can't feel you. I've gotten used to being able to reach you. How was your meeting?"_

_"Well…it's kind of…it didn't go as well as we'd hoped. Buffy sort of slayed him after he threatened to tell the world our secrets. And Twilight is out to end magic."_

_"What? It sounds like we're in some serious trouble."_

_"That might be an understatement. I'll have to tell you more when we get back. I'm not sure if I can concentrate enough to talk and fly all the way home. What have you been doing?"_

_"Oh, I practiced with Dawn, talked to Kennedy for a few minutes, and I've been working on the defensive spells."_

_"Oh, sweetie you didn't have to work on…wait, did you say you talked to Kennedy? Like **Kennedy**__, Kennedy?_"

"_Yeah, it was good. We bumped into each other on the stairs._"

"_You're okay though, right?_"

"_Yes baby, I'm fine. We played nice._"

"_I don't mean to be all paranoid. I just don't ever want anything to hurt you, even your feelings._"

"_It's okay, sweetie. I'll tell you all about it when you get home. When are you getting home, by the way?_"

"_We're in the air, should be home in a few hours. Buffy doesn't like flying really fast. She still thinks I'm going to drop her._"

"_Well, it's getting dark Willow, please be careful._"

"_Yes, love. We're staying out of everybody's airspace._"

"_Maybe it would be safer for you to stop somewhere for the night. Once the sun goes down you'll be invisible, anything could happen._"

"_I'll be careful, Tara. I promise. If it gets too dark we'll stop, but I think Buffy is going to need to talk to Giles as soon as possible. And I want to hear all about your conversation with Kennedy. You're sure you're okay?_"

"_I'm fine. I'll be better once I see you, though. Going without the connection is surprisingly difficult now that I'm used to it. I need to see you before I can completely relax. I'll keep working on these spells until you get back. That should keep me distracted enough._"

"_I'll hurry, baby. I need to see you too. I hate to ask, but would you wait up for me?_"

"_Sweetie, of course I will. You don't have to ask me to do that, I would anyway. I can't sleep without you anymore._"

"_I'm on my way. We'll be back as soon as we can. I love you._"

"_I love you more. I'll be in the suite when you get back. See you soon._"

It was just after midnight when they got back. Tara was sitting at the table with her head leaning on a hand, yawning as she read. As soon as the door opened, she was on her feet and moving to meet Willow. The redhead caught her in a hug, squeezing her tightly.

Buffy smirked at them. "You two were only separated for a day. You missed each other that much?"

Tara nodded, smiling over Willow's shoulder at the Slayer. "Yes. Our connection was down while you two were in the demon realm. It makes it feel like Will was dead."

Buffy's smirk faded into a gentle smile. "Oh. That's fairly intense. Sorry guys."

The blonde witch reassured her. "It's not your fault. It's just something we have to deal with."

"And how often is one of us in demon realms?" Willow added.

Tara pulled back to make a face at her. "Too often for my tastes, actually."

Buffy laughed. "Well, all the traveling is done for tonight. Do you know where Giles is? I need to talk to him. Will can fill you in, Tara. We should probably have a meeting in the morning." She grinned at the pair. "If you two can make it; maybe we should push it back to the afternoon?"

They both blushed, Tara dropping her face into the crook of Willow's neck. The Slayer laughed again. "We'll talk in the afternoon. Do you know where Giles is, Tara?"

"Oh, yeah. I think he's in his room actually."

Buffy frowned. "Fine. He's probably asleep. Hopefully, anyway. Lord knows none of us have been getting much sleep lately. I'll catch him in the morning." She eyed the witches. "Good night, you two. I'll see you guys in the afternoon. We can meet for a late lunch after the squads are downstairs practicing."

Willow pulled Tara into their bedroom quickly, kicking their door closed behind her. "Tell me what happened with Kennedy. I've been so curious."

Tara smiled, gently touching her face. "Let's put on pajamas and we can swap stories once we're more comfortable." Willow pouted and Tara leaned in immediately to kiss her. She pulled back after a long moment. "I'll meet you in bed in a few minutes."

"I'll hurry," Willow promised, sneaking another quick kiss.

They climbed into bed a few minutes later, snuggling close to each other. Willow snagged another kiss, slipping a hand into Tara's hair. She broke the kiss suddenly several minutes later, out of breath. "So, what happened with Kennedy?"

Tara smiled at her. "My kisses got interrupted for this? You're _that _curious?"

Willow nodded, rolling so they were facing each other, lying on their sides. Tara related her conversation with Kennedy, carefully stopping before her agreement with Kennedy, knowing that it would only upset her little redhead, but not concerned about it herself. She finished her story, and Willow looked at her thoughtfully. "So, are you guys friends now?"

Tara smiled. "I don't think I'd go that far. I hope she feels better towards me at least, but I'm not expecting anything." She ran her fingers through Willow's hair. "I couldn't have warm, fuzzy feelings for someone that took you away from me. I shouldn't expect anything different from her." Her head tilted forward and she kissed Willow gently. "Your turn now, baby. What happened today?"

The house was smaller than she remembered it being. She hadn't visited Tichajt in eight months or so, and it always struck Willow how such a small place could contain a demon dimension. Buffy was panting, leaned over her own knees as she tried to catch her breath.

There was a woman seated to the side of the door and she waved in welcome as the Slayer straightened up and the two joined the seated woman.

"Hello, Robin," Willow said, glancing at the door.

The woman was tall with black hair and pale skin, and even when she smiled there was something sad that lingered in her eyes. "He's in a bad mood today. You should have picked a different day to visit," Robin advised, leaning her head back against the wall of the house.

Willow sighed. "Great," she muttered under her breath, exchanging looks with Buffy.

Robin shrugged, smiling at the witch. "You know he's always in a bad mood after you visit anyway."

"Sorry it's more work for you," Willow said, genuinely regretful.

The woman shook her head, sighing. "You know I can't leave anyway." She managed a smile. "How's Tara?" she asked pleasantly. "She didn't want to visit?"

Willow shook her head, smiling. "It's not that, Robin. She's back at home in Scotland. There's just wasn't room this trip." She glanced at her unwilling passenger, smirking. "We needed advice in a hurry. Tara would have been happier flying with me than Buffy is," she teased her friend.

The Slayer shook her head, elbowing the witch and rolling her eyes. "Fine, next time you can take her and I'll stay at home on solid ground," she said.

Robin turned her head from their teasing and appeared to be listening intently. She met Willow's gaze, smiling. "You can go in now, but remember - no magic in the field."

The witch nodded her understanding and the door in front of them opened. Buffy had never been to visit the demon before and she ducked her head unconsciously as they went through the dark doorway. She eyed the long staircase in front of them and gave Willow a long look. "You know the most interesting people," she declared, laughing quietly.

Willow shrugged, grinning. "I know _you_," she agreed and Buffy pushed her gently as they started walking up the stairs.

"How'd you find this guy anyway?" Buffy asked, curious. She knew that Willow had gone to visit Tichajt a few times before, and she herself had relied on the information Willow and Tara had brought back from the demon.

The witch shrugged. "Friend of a friend type deal. One of the coven witches knew someone who knew who he was. She recommended I go see him when we first started hearing about the military gearing up against us." She sighed. "I have to tell you, he's not exactly 'on our side,' but he's not on theirs either. He tries to stay neutral mostly."

Buffy glanced at her. "Do you think he'll cause trouble?"

Willow frowned thoughtfully. "That's what you're here to prevent, right?"

The Slayer nodded firmly. "Yeah, I guess it is. Someone has to watch your back," she agreed, grinning at her friend as they climbed the seemingly endless staircase.

The reached the top eventually and Buffy gazed around her in shock, realizing for the first time how much larger the realm was on the inside. The demon himself was massive, looking more like a gigantic tapeworm with wings and arms than anything else Buffy could think of to describe it. His maw was dripping and the Slayer hesitated to wonder what a thing like this would eat.

"Witch," he boomed in greeting, slithering through the air to curl around them, contorting himself wildly to curl his eyes, all four of which were located on his tail, to look towards them.

"Tichajt," Willow responded, her hair blowing wildly in the wind from his passing.

"I have no answers for you, Slayer." His voice echoed around the impossibly large room and Buffy suddenly noticed that the staircase had vanished from behind them.

"We didn't even ask you anything yet," Buffy objected.

There was a forceful movement, the demon rising and falling though the air. "Twilight is not so different from you, Slayer. You shouldn't think so highly of yourself," he warned her.

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.

"You already know," Tichajt stated. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Willow shrugged as Buffy glanced at her, as confused as the Slayer was. "Could you just clarify it for us?" Willow asked hesitantly, unsure how the demon would react.

"His goal is the same as yours."

Buffy groaned at the vague statement. "And that is?"

"The death of magic, of course."

Willow blanched. "All magic?" she asked, exchanging worried looks with Buffy.

"Ideally," the demon agreed easily, seemingly not disturbed by the idea.

"The slayers?" Buffy questioned.

The demon swirled around them again, his wings flapping strongly and the wind tugged at their hair and clothes. "Would it be such a huge loss? Your kind hunts my kind. And for what? Because we're not human? What makes your kind so special? Humans are cruel to their own kind. There is no trust, no love. It is the same with us, but we are the ones who are hunted and killed."

"We trust, we love," Buffy objected.

The wings beat again and a beam of white light engulfed them. "Even those you love, you cannot trust," they heard the demon's voice state and the light vanished, leaving them in sudden darkness.

Buffy looked around, confused. They appeared to no longer be in the demon's dark realm, but inside a stone building. The Slayer spun quickly as Willow gasped, and felt the blood drain from her face as she saw herself, lying beaten and bloody on the floor of the room they found themselves in.

Both girls jumped as they heard Robin's voice behind them. "What is this?" Buffy asked as the beaten version of herself rolled on the floor, groaning in pain.

"The future," Robin said sadly, watching the Slayer writing on the ground. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I didn't think he'd show you this," she apologized genuinely.

"Can we change this?" Willow asked, looking at the dark-haired woman.

She shrugged. "You know that I don't know. Tichajt does what he wants. I can't control him, only keep the realm stable."

"He said I couldn't trust the people I love," Buffy prompted, hoping for more information.

Robin glanced away from them. "That could be true of any person on earth," she said and the Slayer wasn't sure if the woman was even talking to her anymore, or just making an observation. Her eyes focused on Buffy and she sighed. "Be very careful, Slayer." Her eyes moved to Willow and she groaned. "I've got to get outside now. You're about to be bad."

Willow didn't have time to respond before Robin flickered out of their sight and they were left alone, Tichajt appearing in front of them again.

"So you see how the line of humans will treat each other. I encourage Twilight's war. Perhaps I'll help him. His mission amuses me. Even if he fails to wipe you all out, perhaps he will thin the herd," the demon said, laughing almost gleefully.

Buffy glared up at him and Willow touched her shoulder. The Slayer met her friend's eyes over her shoulder, nodding. She leapt, her strength shooting her straight up into the air, and she could feel Willow's magic rising with her. She struck, the magic felt like a sword in her hands and the blow severed the demon's neck.

He recoiled, but not fast enough and his body went into spasms, while Willow yelled below her. There was no time before the house was exploding, shooting the two women out into the grassy field they'd landed in. They sat up slowly, surprised to see that the house was already recovered from the explosion.

Robin was standing at their feet and she shook her head, sighing. "Willow," she said reproachfully. "I warned you about the magic."

The witch nodded guiltily. "Sorry, Robin," she apologized. "Maybe you'll get a day off now," she pointed out, trying to make amends.

The woman sighed again, smiling despite herself. "You should go," she advised and they got to their feet. She nodded to Buffy. "Good luck," she said seriously.

"You can't tell us anymore about what you saw in there, can you?" Buffy asked, brushing her hands on her pants.

Robin frowned. "I was in there?" She glanced at Willow for confirmation. "I'm sorry Buffy, but I didn't see anything." She watched the friends exchange glances. "I'm afraid it might have been demons playing games."

The Slayer sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping momentarily before she straightened up, nodding to Robin. "We'll be ready," she promised.

"What do you think?" Willow asked as she finished her story, meeting Tara's eyes.

The blonde took a deep breath. "I don't know. The Guardians did tell us that it was up to us to balance out what we did. This Twilight sounds like he's going to try and do it for us…but probably in a way we'll not live through. We'll just have to talk to the others tomorrow." She sighed. "I'm afraid our idea left us with more questions than answers." She looked carefully in Willow's eyes. "You've been going all day. We should get some sleep."

Tara turned so she was lying flat on her back, stretching one arm out to her wife. "Come here. I just need to be close to you right now."

The redhead slid closer, Tara's arm curling around her shoulder. She settled her head on the blonde's shoulder, slipping an arm across her waist. "How's this?"

Tara pressed a kiss against her hair. "Perfect." They rested in silence for a while and Willow thought Tara had fallen asleep until her lover's voice drifted into her ear. "I'm scared, Willow."

The redhead lifted her head to look Tara in the eye. "Of what? What's wrong?"

"I'm scared of what the death of magic will mean. For us."

"Us? We use magic, sure, but it doesn't define our marriage," Willow stated, frowning down at her wife.

Tara shook her head. "I know that, it's just, we did the ceremony so that you would feel better about me being safe, but now I'm almost addicted to it or something. I can't stand not being able to feel our connection. I don't know if I can go back to living without it."

Willow looked at her carefully. "Tara, our connection isn't about magic. It's about love, baby. Do you really feel like you need the magical part of it?"

She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I don't know. No…. I don't need it. I'm just taking it for granted, I guess."

Willow smiled down at her. "I can understand that. I love being able to talk to you anytime. I love knowing that you're safe. But it's not essential. I can live without it. The only thing I can't live without is you."

Tara smiled back up at her. "I know. I feel the same way. And I'll get this reliance under control." She took another deep breath. "It just…it feels like you're dead whenever we lose it. I can't stand it. I'm probably just being overly sensitive because it was gone today."

The redhead nodded. "I know, baby. I feel it too. And we've got a serious problem if either of us gets complacent about the other one dying. I still don't have a nightmare that doesn't involve the day you died."

Tara looked surprised. "Really?"

Willow nodded. "Of course. It will always be my worst nightmare." She frowned. "You had to know that. There's nothing I'm more scared of. Whenever the connection goes down, the first thing that I see in my mind is that bullet, the blood, you falling…"

Tara cut her off with a kiss. "I'm right here, Willow. I'm right here with you." She touched her wife's face tenderly. "I'm sorry I brought this up. Nothing's happened yet. There's no reason for me to stress out about this. Besides, if magic is ended, our connection is the last thing we need to be worrying about."

"Sweetie, no it isn't. Our marriage should never be something we aren't concerned about," Willow said, and Tara kissed her again, stopping her words.

"Willow, you just said it. The connection isn't our marriage. Our marriage is this." She pointed back and forth between the two of them. "It's us, together. Nothing can change that. Not even death." She kissed Willow again. "I've said this before, but I'll wait for you, if something happens…" She broke off as Willow shook her head, whimpering. "Baby, shh. Nothing's going to happen. I'm just saying…we're forever."

Willow's fear was still rampant in her eyes and she fell back onto the bed, lying beside her wife, both on their backs. "You'll be waiting a long time, I'm afraid." Her voice was quiet, but Tara could still hear her.

The blonde sat up on one elbow, facing Willow. "What do you mean by that?" She smiled gently. "Even you can't live forever, my love."

The green eyes slipped closed, her hand coming up to cover them. Tara gently touched her hand. "Baby, what is it? What are you thinking…?" Her question trailed off as she realized Willow's point. "Willow! No! No way! That is _not_ going to happen."

"Why not? I killed people, tried to destroy the world. I touched the darkest magic in the world, Tara. There's not a chance I'll end up in the same place as you." Her hand came down so she could meet her lover's gaze. "When we die, you'll go back to heaven where you belong, and I'll go to some hell dimension somewhere…" Her mouth was still open to continue when Tara's hand dropped over it firmly.

Her eyes were furious, angry in a way Willow rarely saw her. "If you dare say to me that you deserve it…" She stopped, taking a deep breath, her eyes closing tightly. "_I don't know what I'll do, but neither one of us will like it._" Her eyes opened, tears sliding down her cheeks as her anger abruptly crumbled into despair. "Willow," she sobbed her wife's name as she cried. Her hand relaxed on Willow's mouth, and she curled up into herself, pulling her knees up into her chest, both hands coming up to cover her face.

Willow's own eyes slipped closed as she felt Tara's anguish wash over her. She touched her wife's hair anxiously. "Tara, God, oh I'm sorry. I'm so sorry baby. Please don't cry. Please. I can't bear it when you cry." Tara didn't respond, still crying, and Willow leaned over to press kisses to the backs of her hands. "Please, baby. Please stop. I love you. I'm so sorry. Please, Tara." She gently pulled the blonde's hands away from her face, crying herself at the sight of her lover's pain.

Tara opened her eyes slowly. "Never even think about that again." Her voice was hoarse and she was still hiccupping sobs, but Willow could tell how serious she was. "I mean it, Willow. You're not going to hell." Willow's mouth opened to respond, but Tara's look silenced her. "No. You listen to me. The person that killed Warren, that raised that temple, that tried to destroy the world, that person was a monster." Willow flinched, but remained silent. "And that monster is dead. It died on that bluff. You, the real you, and Xander, you killed it."

She was still sniffling and pulled one hand out of Willow's to touch her face. "I didn't marry a monster. I married you. You're my soul mate." She looked carefully at the redhead through her tears. "You know what that means, right?" Willow's expression didn't change, and Tara's hand flew back to cover her mouth. "Oh my God, you don't, do you?"

Willow frowned at her. "What do you mean? I know that we're soul mates, but what…?"

Tara sat up, shaking her head. "It's not just something poetic sweetie, it's literal. Our souls are connected, mated, forever."

Willow's eyes widened. "What! Really?"

The blonde nodded, taking her wife's hand. "Really. We'll literally be together forever, no matter what." She looked seriously at her. "And neither one of us is going to hell."

Willow blinked, taking a deep breath. "Did this happen at the wedding? Was it part of the ceremony?"

Tara shook her head, smiling through her tears. "I can't say for sure when it happened to you, but for me it was the night you came back to me, after Oz. It started the very first day I met you, but that's the night I knew for sure that I belonged to you, forever."

Tears welled in Willow's eyes. "Oh God, Tara, I had no idea. I didn't know." She blinked and the tears dropped.

Tara took a deep breath and pulled Willow into a hug, resting her head on her lover's shoulder, her tears soaking into Willow's shirt. "Would it have made a difference?" she asked quietly, unable to look into Willow's face as she asked.

The redhead could feel her wife's fear through their connection, and pulled out of the hug to look her in the eye. "Tara, no. Nothing on this earth could have ever stopped me from marrying you. You're my everything, baby." She grimaced. "I just don't want to drag you to hell with me."

Tara's anger was back in an instant. "Stop it! You're not going to hell. The person who did all those things is gone." She stood up, pacing in front of the bed. "You have to stop this, Willow. You're a different person. That wasn't you. When are you going to let yourself accept that?"

"Tara, none of us can afford for me to get complacent about the magic. That's how it happened before," Willow argued, standing up herself.

The blonde sighed. "I know that Willow, but you've had it under control for almost three years. You can do this, sweetie. You _are_ doing this. You know you can. I know you can. Everyone else knows you can. You don't have to beat yourself up over what happened. I know you can't afford to forget it, but you have to forgive yourself. Otherwise, the guilt will kill you." She stared at Willow for a long moment before she turned toward their bedroom door.

She only had it open a crack before Willow's hand collided with it, slamming it shut again. "Tara, no, don't go, please. I didn't…I'm not…I'm sorry. Please don't leave."

Tara turned to face her, tears sliding down her face. "I'm not leaving. I just…I don't want to…I just wanted to give you some time."

Willow pressed her forehead against Tara's. "I don't need time. I don't want time. I just want you. I'll do anything you want, just please don't leave." Her voice was rushed, out of breath. Her arms curled around Tara's neck. "Please don't leave me."

"I'll never leave you, Willow. Never. I just want you to think about what I said. Please? You're doing so well…I just want you to let yourself feel it." Her eyes slipped closed. "At least tell me you'll try. I need you to try."

Willow was nodding before the sentence was out of her mouth. "Yes, I will. I swear, I will. Please, just don't leave. Not me, not this room, just don't leave. I'll do it. Anything. I love you."

Tara tilted her head down and kissed her, cutting off her words. Willow responded immediately, pressing Tara against the door with her body. Tara's hands went to Willow's hips, pulling her tighter against her. The redhead's hands came up to brace herself against the door, her leg pressing in between Tara's. They finally broke the kiss, both gasping for air, but Willow didn't stop pressing kisses all over her lover's face, working her way down her neck.

One of Tara's hands came up from her hip to her hair, pulling the protesting redhead away from her skin, only to kiss her again. Her fingers tightened in Willow's red hair, keeping her from pulling away. When she finally pulled back, she kept her eyes closed, both girls breathing hard.

"I love you," Tara gasped, her head dropping to Willow's shoulder. "I'm sorry this got so out of control." She pulled her head up slowly. "We really are no good at fighting with each other."

Willow nodded. "I wasn't going to let you leave this room mad at me. It is always worse that way. I had to keep you here."

Tara glanced at Willow's arms on either side of her head and smiled a tiny smile. "I can see that. Well done." She leaned in for another kiss, keeping it brief. As they broke apart, Tara kept her head pressed to Willow's, looking her straight in the eyes. "I didn't mean to get upset, sweetie. I just don't want you to beat yourself up all the time. I love you too much to watch it. Forgive me?"

Willow blinked, smiling tentatively. "Tara, there's nothing to forgive. I know I've got guilt issues. I'm sorry. I'll try and do better, I promise."

Tara sighed. "Thank you. That's all I wanted. I really didn't mean to get so upset." Willow kissed her briefly, smiling against her wife's mouth. "Kennedy almost had reason to make good on her threat. It hasn't even been a day," she said thoughtlessly.

Willow frowned, pulling back sharply. "What threat? Kennedy threatened you?"

Tara looked surprised, realizing her mistake a second too late. "I didn't tell you about that?" Willow immediately moved to open the door, but Tara was still pressed against it and grabbed Willow's arms quickly. "Will, wait. It wasn't _exactly_ like she threatened me."

Willow was still frowning. "What did she say _exactly_?"

"Just that if I hurt you, she'd kill me. No big deal."

Willow's green eyes widened. "What! How is _that 'no big deal?' _What did you say?"

Tara shrugged. "I told her it was fine with me."

Willow's jaw dropped. "What? You said it was fine! Tara, why would you say that?"

"If I ever hurt you, I don't want to live. It might sound melodramatic, but I'm certainly not going to live without you," Tara said simply, as if it should be obvious. She moved one hand to her lover's face. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

Willow leaned into her touch. "You never will. I know that. It's not even an issue."

"Then we don't have to worry about Kennedy, do we?" Tara asked, smiling gently. Willow shook her head, smiling back. "Then I think we have more important things to do."

Willow arched an eyebrow, smiling cautiously. "We do?"

Tara nodded, sniffling. "As attractive as I know I look right now, I want to get cleaned up." She kissed Willow gently, gradually deepening it. "And then I want to go to bed with you."

Willow grinned, wiping sticky tear tracks from her wife's face. "Every night." She paused. "And sometimes in the mornings, according to Buffy."

Tara nudged her nose against Willow's, brushing their lips together. "She's not wrong. If only she had any idea how much worse it could be." She squeezed one of her lover's hands. "Now, I'm going to wash my face."

"And then bed?" Willow asked eagerly.

Tara nodded. "If that's okay with you, lover."

Willow nodded, leaning in for another kiss. "You're lucky I'm even letting you leave me long enough to wash your face, baby." Tara kissed her back passionately, gradually stepping back towards their bathroom. Willow let her go slowly, brushing her fingers over her wife's cheek. "Hurry, please."

Tara nodded, smiling. She washed her face quickly, wiping away the remnants of her fight with Willow. She realized she was humming quietly to herself, and couldn't help smiling a little wider. Willow was already under the covers when she came out of the bathroom and there were lit candles scattered around the room. She stopped singing when she heard Willow gasp. "What is it, baby?" She glanced around for something that might be wrong, but Willow's gaze was locked on her.

"You. Have I told you lately how gorgeous you are?" Willow asked quietly, her voice hushed.

Tara blushed, joining her lover in bed. "It's very dark in here, you probably can't see that well," she commented as she slid closer and leaned over to kiss Willow on the forehead.

"You're beautiful, Tara," Willow stated, moving her face to catch Tara's lips with her own. Her hands slipped into Tara's hair, and the blonde moved her own hands to Willow's shoulders. As the kiss broke, Tara pulled her head back to peek under the sheet.

"Someone's ahead of me," she noted, looking back up at Willow with a smile. The redhead shrugged.

"I was trying to save time."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "Will, we're not in a rush."

Willow smirked, running her eyes over her lover. "Oh no, I expect we'll be going slow at some point, but we do have a meeting at lunch tomorrow."

The blonde was still smiling at her and it faded slowly. "Willow, I know you've got to be exhausted. You need to get some sleep."

"We can sleep. Later. After." Her words were scattered between kisses, pressing them across her lover's neck. She nipped her ear gently. "I need you, baby."

Tara let a kiss connect to her mouth, and immediately gave up her efforts to slow it down. "We can sleep after. Before. Whenever." The words were breathed between kisses.

Willow grinned up at her. "There's my girl."

* * *

The redhead woke up slowly the next morning, hearing Tara singing. She kept her eyes closed, but the smile gave her away and the blonde stopped singing to lean over and kiss her gently. Willow opened her eyes as her wife pulled back. Tara was leaning on an elbow, watching her. Willow blinked, smiling sleepily up at her.

"God, I love you," Tara breathed, running her hand over Willow's face. Willow's hand reached up to take hers, squeezing it gently.

"I love you too. I love you so much."

Tara leaned down for another kiss as Willow craned her head up. Willow's hands slid into her hair, holding her close. As they separated, Tara laid her head gently on Willow's shoulder, the redhead's arms curling close around her. Willow could hear her lover hiss as she laid down on her side, and she ran a hand down her wife's back. "Tara, what's wrong?"

Tara pressed a kiss to her neck. "Nothing, sweetie. My arm fell asleep."

"Well, turn over."

Tara shook her head. "I don't want to move."

Willow smiled, her fingers stroking through Tara's hair. "I don't want to move either baby, but I don't want you to be sore. Just turn over, and I'll go with you." Willow shifted slowly so she was lying on Tara's other side, the blonde rolling so she could put her head back on Willow's shoulder. The redhead looked at her lover's arm, seeing impressions from the wrinkles in the sheets on her skin.

"Tara, how long have you been awake?" Willow asked, brushing a kiss on her hair and reaching down to take her wife's hand, rubbing it gently.

Tara snuggled closer, feeling the tingles in her fingers as the blood rushed back into her hand. "I'm not sure. I just woke up and snuck out and made breakfast, and you were still asleep when I came back, and I couldn't resist just lying here and watching you sleep. You're so relaxed when you're asleep. It's beautiful."

Willow's head came up to look down at her. "You made breakfast? For everyone?"

Tara shook her head, laughing quietly. "No baby, it's for you. It's on the dresser. Everything's covered up, and it hasn't been too long so everything should still taste fine."

Willow tilted her head up enough to see the plates on the dresser. She glanced back down at Tara. "You're the best wife in the world. I can't say that enough." The blonde hugged her tightly and something occurred to Willow. "You changed clothes, right? Because you're kind of…not wearing many now."

Tara grinned at her. "I was trying to save time."

Willow grinned back and leaned over for a kiss. "Best wife ever," she breathed as they kissed. "Want to eat breakfast before it gets cold?" Tara nodded and Willow slid carefully out from under her. She retrieved the tray and slid back into bed, leaning back against the headboard. Tara sat up beside her, pulling the sheet up over them. Willow looked over at her while they ate, smiling. "Thank you, sweetie. It all tastes amazing."

"You're welcome, my love." She reached over to take Willow's hand. "I'm sorry about last night."

Willow shook her head. "Don't be. You weren't wrong."

Tara's hand squeezed hers. "I shouldn't have gotten upset like I did. I'm sorry."

Willow put down her fork to touch Tara's face. "It's completely forgotten." She glanced at her plate. "Are these guilty pancakes?"

Tara shook her head, smiling gently. "No, these are I love you pancakes."

"They're delicious. Thank you, sweetheart."

They finished eating and put their plates to the night tables on either side of the bed. Willow slid down to lay on her back, pulling Tara down with her. The blonde snuggled close, wrapping an arm around her waist. Willow shifted a little, squeezing Tara tighter, and letting out a deep breath.

"Are you okay? You're moving a little stiffly," Tara questioned, looking up at her.

Willow smiled, shaking her head. "I'm okay…" She took another deep breath, hesitating. "Actually, no I'm not."

Tara rolled onto her side, looking at her closely. "What is it?"

"You said…you told me to tell you," she trailed off with a sigh. "Tara, could you…would you mind…my back hurts again." She took another deep breath. "Can you help me?"

Tara smiled at her. "Sweetie, of course. Turn over." Willow did so, wincing as several bones crackled down her spine. "Did that hurt?"

Willow nodded slowly, groaning as several more popped as she settled onto her stomach. Tara's fingers probed gently at her muscles, the redhead stretching her arms down at her sides. "Thank you, Tara."

Tara leaned over to kiss her temple. "I'm glad you asked." She could feel the tension in her lover's back and started working it out. "Baby, this is awful. It's like I didn't even do anything before."

Willow just groaned, feeling more of her spine crack as her lungs expanded. "I'm sorry."

"Willow no. It's not your fault. I'll just have to do it more often, that's all." She leaned over to press a kiss to the corner of her lover's mouth. "As if I need an excuse to touch you." Willow's head turned a bit to meet her second kiss. She settled back into the pillow as Tara's fingers worked on her neck.

Gradually, she realized that Tara was humming while she worked, occasionally singing a word or phrase. Willow opened her eyes, blinking while she tried to clear her hazy mind enough to recognize the song. Finally, she just decided to ask. "What are you singing? It sounds so familiar."

Tara's hands were rubbing her lower back and slowed. "You know it. I've sung it to you before."

"You were singing it this morning, weren't you? When I woke up."

"Yes, I was. I sing it a lot. You don't recognize it?"

Willow frowned. "I know I do. Sing it again?" Tara started singing and Willow realized immediately why she knew the song. "It's the song from the bridge. It's the song you sang to me." She turned over quickly, forcing Tara to pull her hands back.

"I wasn't done…" Her protest was cut off as Willow kissed her, pulling her lover down to her. "I'll finish later," she breathed, pulling back. "If you're okay?"

"I was getting better until my smooches went away," Willow pouted up at her.

Tara frowned. "Well, I want my girl to feel good." She kissed Willow again, letting the redhead pull her closer.


	20. Chapter 19

The girls rushed into the kitchen at one fifteen. The others were already seated and Buffy raised an eyebrow at them. "Come on, guys! We even pushed it back."

Willow's mouth dropped open. "It's my fault. She was giving me a massage and we lost track of time."

The Slayer smirked. "I doubt it, but we'll play along for Giles' sake."

Tara spoke up. "No, it's true. Her back has been full of knots. The first massage barely made a dent."

Xander raised a hand, staring at them. Willow shot him a questioning look and he spoke, "You gave her more than one massage?"

Tara nodded, giving him a confused look. "Of course. She's been really uncomfortable. I'm not going to let her stay that way."

He nodded, smiling as his gaze turned to Willow. "Um, Will, seeing as how we're best friends…can I marry your wife?"

Willow raised an eyebrow, taking Tara's hand possessively and grinning at him. "No way, Xander. She's mine."

"Could she just give me a massage then? Please?"

Willow shrugged. "You'd have to ask her. She can do whatever she wants."

"What happened to the caveman-esque 'she's mine' mentality?" he asked with a grin.

Willow laughed. "You asked to marry her. You can't because she's mine already."

The witches joined the others at the table, serving themselves lunch. "So, how late are we really?" Tara asked as they started eating, changing the subject while shooting a chiding look at Willow and Xander. Everyone else still had food on their plates so she didn't think that they were very late.

Buffy grinned. "I was just teasing you guys. We've only been down here about ten minutes."

Giles cleared his throat. "Well, since we're all here, we should begin the meeting. Buffy's told me what happened in the demon realm, but we haven't discussed the ramifications. The death of magic. It's something that none of us at this table can conceive of. It's impossible for us to consider it. In addition to the trouble that situation will bring us, some slayers that went AWOL have been stealing, robbing banks. It has given the slayers public notice that we cannot afford."

"Twilight is the first priority," Buffy commented. Willow shot her a look, having heard what else the demon had told them about the betrayal, and surprised that the Slayer wasn't mentioning it. Buffy just shook her head as she met Willow's eyes and the redhead sighed, keeping her mouth shut.

"So, what do we do?" Xander asked. "What's the first step? We've never even seen this guy, just met his people."

Buffy sighed, shaking her head. "I wish I had a clue." She looked at her Watcher. "Giles?"

The older man sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I'm afraid I still have nothing concrete, but of course I will continue to explore every avenue. I'm hopeful that the book we recovered could still prove useful."

"Fine. Let me know when you find anything. I'm feeling antsy, Giles. I think I want to patrol tonight."

He nodded. "Do you want to go alone?"

She shrugged. "I'll take someone, I guess. Maybe Satsu. She's always volunteering for stuff anyway." Her gaze shifted to the witches. "How's the defensive spell stuff going?"

Tara glanced at Willow. "I have some things we can implement. I wanted Willow to look them over before I cast anything."

Willow shot her a look. "Tara, you're perfectly capable of casting these spells. You don't have to wait for me."

"Oh, I know. It's just that you're the leader, you know, of the Wicca squad. I should go through the proper channels."

Willow frowned. "You're my wife, not some random member of the Wicca squad. You don't need my permission. Especially not on anything that keeps us safe. If you have an idea, you run with it." She squeezed Tara's hand under the table, glancing at Buffy. "Do you agree?"

The Slayer nodded. "Of course. Tara, you know we all trust you. If there's something you can do, you do it. You don't have to wait for permission from anyone."

The blonde witch nodded, ducking her head so her hair fell across her face. Willow smiled and pushed it back with one finger, leaving her hand at the back of her wife's neck to idly play with Tara's blonde hair. The redhead glanced back at Buffy. "We'll get them cast this afternoon. I'll try everything I can think of to test it."

"Thanks Will, Tara. I appreciate it. Xander, how's your squad doing?"

The one eyed man shrugged. "Everything's going good, Buff. Everyone's keeping up their training, like normal. Do you have something in mind for them to do?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just checking on everything." She glanced at her sister. "And Dawn, when are we going to meet this Kenny you've been on the phone with all the time?"

The youngest girl's mouth dropped open. "You checked my phone?" she demanded shrilly.

"Dawn, you went over the minutes again. They sent me a letter about it."

Her sister scowled at her. "You couldn't get his name from that."

"Oh come on, you know I had Willow look him up," Buffy stated, looking around the table. "Everyone knows me better than that."

Dawn shot a look at Willow, who had the grace to look sheepish. "Buffy!" she whined at her sister.

"We're your family, Dawnie. We just want to meet him," Tara said, smiling at her friend.

Dawn sighed. "Fine. What night are we not getting attacked or something?"

The adults looked at each other. "Actually, maybe we should meet him somewhere public. It might be hard to explain our living in a castle with a bunch of women," Buffy commented.

"Or he might like it," Xander suggested. All of the women turned to glare at him, and Giles rolled his eyes. "Or not. We could come to your campus this weekend," he suggested quickly, avoiding the girls' gazes.

They all looked at Dawn, waiting for her to speak. She looked down the table at them. "Fine. I'll make sure he's going to be around this weekend." She glared at them. "But you guys have to promise to not be all pushy and nosy." Her gaze narrowed on her sister. "Mostly I mean you, Buffy."

The Slayer rolled her eyes. "Don't you trust me, Dawnie?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

"No…I don't." Dawn clearly didn't buy her sister's innocent act. She looked at the rest of the table, pointing at Xander and Giles. "And I don't want any macho older brother stuff either."

Xander looked shocked. "I have every right!" he objected.

Giles just smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best. I'm intrigued to meet this young man. And thank you for the older brother reference."

Dawn smiled back at him as she went back to her lunch. "You're welcome, Giles."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "How come Willow and Tara don't get some kind of warning? That's not fair."

Dawn shrugged. "They're cool. I know they're not going to freak him out on purpose."

Willow grinned, sticking her tongue out at the rest of the Scoobies as she threw her arms into the air. "Oh yeah! We're the good ones!" She gestured enthusiastically between Tara and herself, her wife just rolling her eyes and continuing to eat her lunch peacefully.

Giles glanced around at their group, smiling at the young people's antics. "I imagine this Kenny will have plenty here to freak him out without anyone going out of their way."

Buffy frowned, looking around. "What does that mean? What's wrong with us? We're very presentable and not freaky."

The Watcher gestured around the table at the Scoobies. "I don't mean any offense. We're difficult to explain, that's all. We're a very diverse group. We're all undeniably family, but from an outsider's point of view we present quite the odd picture. A devilishly handsome older man, a one eyed carpenter, a pair of married women, and a mysterious older sister who might crush his hand at first meeting," he said, pointing to each of them in turn.

Buffy grinned at his description. "What did you tell him about me, anyway?"

Dawn shrugged. "I've been as vague as possible. He knows that you all live in Scotland, originally from California, but he doesn't know what you're all doing here, obviously. I just told him that you all worked with youth."

Buffy shrugged, looking thoughtful. "That's true, I guess."

Dawn sighed. "So dinner Saturday night? Unless something apocalypt-ey happens."

Buffy nodded, glancing at the others. "We'll put it on the calendar. I'll make sure Kennedy and Satsu are going to be here to cover for me."

"Great. Well, if we're wrapping up, I've got to get headed back to school. I've got class in the morning. I'll call you when I get back to campus," Dawn said, standing up. "I've just got to grab my bag from my room and I'll be on my way out. See you all this weekend."

Tara stood up too. "I'll go start working on the defensive spells if we're done."

Buffy nodded. "Thanks, Tara. Dawnie, drive safe." She checked her watch. "Perfect timing. I've got a class now." She looked around at them. "I never thought I'd be saying that."

"Oh, neither did we," Xander added, grinning at her.

They scattered to their jobs, Willow, Tara, and Giles following Dawn upstairs to their suite. Tara and Giles went to the table while Dawn pulled Willow into her own room with her. They were in there for a long time so Tara went out on the grounds to cast some new defensive spells, while Giles was studying the book he'd taken from the rogue sorcerer at the table. Tara noticed when Dawn's car pull out, Willow reaching out to her a moment later.

"_Oh my God. Buffy's going to freak._" Willow's anxiety was obvious in her voice.

"_What's wrong? Is Dawn okay?"_

"_She might not be if Buffy finds out."_

"_Finds out what, sweetie?" _Tara tried to stay calm, her wife's panic making her nervous.

"_Dawn and her boyfriend are…you know. Or they did…once."_

"_Did what once?"_ Tara asked teasingly, pretty sure now that she knew what Willow was referring to.

"_You know what! The big thing that people do!"_

"_Will, it's adorable that you still can't just say sex…especially considering how we spent most of last night and a good part of this morning." _Tara's amusement was coming through their connection clearly.

"_That's different. It's you and me. It's not little Dawnie! Tara, she's too young!"_

"_You were younger than she is, your first time with Oz,"_ Tara pointed out reasonably.

"_That was different. We'd been dating for a year. And we thought we were going to be eaten by a giant snake,"_ Willow argued.

"_Nothing I say is going to make you feel better about this, is it? She's not pregnant or anything, is she?"_

"_No, thank God. Buffy would definitely be killing someone."_

"_Well, then we can just be grateful that she trusts you enough to keep you in the loop. Are you going to tell Buffy? Surely Dawn asked you not to."_

"_Yeah she did, and I'm not going to say anything unless something happens. She's growing up. I guess she can take care of herself."_

"_It happens to all of us unfortunately. I've got one more to cast out here and then I'm coming up to the balcony. Will you meet me there? We can test them and then I can finish working on your back."_

"_Okay. Thanks, baby."_

Tara finished her spells and packed up the supplies she'd brought down with her, going back upstairs to meet Willow. The redhead was finishing a spell as she walked onto the balcony.

"I found your notes, so I helped. There's one that will be stronger if we cast it together. That should finish it up."

Tara nodded. "Sounds good. Then it's back to bed for you. I know I didn't finish your back. How's that knot under your shoulder blade?"

"Twinges a bit, but not bad."

Tara shot a look at her. "I'll work on it some more," she promised. "Let's do this, then."

They got their work finished to a point where Willow was satisfied and they went back to their room. "You don't have to do this," Willow said as she laid down on their bed.

Tara rolled her eyes. "We've already discussed this. I like helping you." She sat down next to her wife's body. Willow let out a groan as Tara started loosening the tension in her shoulders. "It's like I can't make a dent. The tension comes back as soon as I take my hands away."

Willow turned her head on the pillow, sending a series of popping bones down her spine. "At least it's loose enough to pop now. Before it wouldn't even do that. You should be proud."

Tara's eyebrow arched. "Proud of making your neck pop? I'm not sure that's a good thing, Will."

"Well it feels good. That's all that matters to me," Willow said, feeling herself relax under her lover's hands. "You know, this makes my skin feel all warm, even where you're not touching."

Tara smiled, knowing Willow couldn't see it. "Does it feel good, or are you hot?"

Willow smiled, her eyes closed. "Why, you wouldn't be trying to get my clothes off, would you?"

Tara laughed. "I just want you to be comfortable sweetie. I'll get you naked later. If we start now we're likely to miss dinner."

"We've had the other two meals today," Willow protested. "We could miss dinner."

Tara smirked. "We almost didn't make it to lunch."

"That wasn't my fault!" Willow exclaimed. "You were singing."

The blonde laughed. "You don't always do _that_ when I sing, Willow."

"You were singing to me, about me. It's very hot," she defended herself. "Anyone else would have done the same thing."

"I guess it's a good thing that song is just for you then." She touched Willow's hair gently. "Turn your head the other way, baby." The redhead did so, her neck cracking again. Tara winced. "I really think that has to hurt. It sounds awful."

"Sometimes it does, sometimes it just feels good."

Tara finished her massage, satisfied for the time being. "I'll check it again tomorrow. I don't understand how you can walk around like that. It must hurt so much. Those knots stay so tight."

Willow turned over and sat up, looking over at Tara sitting beside her. "Thank you, baby. You're too sweet to me." Tara shook her head, smiling. Willow reached to take one of the blonde's hands and was surprised to feel her fingers twitching. "What's…?" She looked at her lover's hands. "Do they always twitch like this after?"

Tara shrugged. "It's the repetitive motion. It'll stop in a few minutes."

Willow pulled the hand she was holding into her lap, rubbing gently with the fingertips of both of her hands. Tara's eyes closed uncontrollably. "Oh my God. Willow, that feels amazing."

Willow looked at her in surprise. "You've never had a hand massage?"

"No. My hands didn't hurt or anything. I didn't know it would feel like this."

Willow smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to her wife's forehead as she continued to work Tara's hand in between her fingers. "You do everything to take care of me, but I never do anything for you."

Tara's eyes opened slowly as Willow started massaging her other hand. "It's not a competition, sweetie."

The redhead nodded. "I know that, I just feel bad about it."

"There's no need. Didn't we just talk about your guilt issues?" Tara asked, smiling gently.

"I know. I just want to take care of you the way you take care of me."

Tara touched her wife's face with her free hand. "You do, sweetie. I couldn't make it through the day without you. I just don't carry massive amounts of tension in my back the way you do."

Willow grinned at her, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "So, where do you carry your tension? Because I'd be more than happy to massage it, wherever it is." Her eyes ran over Tara's body quickly.

The blonde just grinned back at her. "How is it that I get blamed for all the sex? You're just as bad as I am," she asked, rolling her eyes.

Willow shrugged, pulling Tara's hand up to kiss it gently. "I have no idea. The only part that matters to me is that we're having all the sex we're getting accused of."

Tara smirked. "I actually think they're a little conservative with their estimates, but that's fine with me. I'd rather them not put much thought into our sex life."

Willow's grin dropped. "Now we have Dawn's sex life to worry about."

Tara quickly squeezed her hand. "Dawnie can take care of herself sweetie. I'm sure she knows what she's doing." She smiled reassuringly. "She knows better than to do anything that will give Buffy a reason to kill her boyfriend."

Willow nodded slowly. "That's true. Buffy might have a different standard though. I get the feeling taking her sister's virginity is going to rank pretty high."

Tara grimaced. "Well, we'll just have to make sure she doesn't find out until Dawn's ready to tell her." She glanced at the clock. "We should go down to dinner."

Willow sighed. "If you really think we should."

Tara leaned over for a kiss. "We don't have to stay long. We'll just eat and make sure Buffy doesn't need anything else from us. Maybe we should help Giles though."

Willow nodded, pouting. "Fine, we can be all responsible and stuff." She perked up. "What about if my back hurts again? I could need another massage."

Tara shot her a look. "We've already used that excuse today. And they didn't even believe it the first time."

Buffy left after dinner with Satsu to go patrol and the others went back upstairs to keep studying Twilight's book. It seemed to be written in a coded language that they were struggling to decipher. Everything that had managed to translate was propaganda against the slayers. They worked on it for hours, eventually going to bed. Giles was up the next morning before dawn working. He was joined by the others gradually. They kept working quietly, no one noticing that Buffy's room was open and empty, the bed still made. Everyone jumped when Buffy ran into the room from the hall with an unconscious Satsu over her shoulder.

The Slayer carefully deposited her on the couch, breathing hard. The others were out of their seats in a second, gathering at the sofa.

Xander called for a status report from his squad at the perimeter, but Buffy waved him off. "It was out on patrol. We were attacked."

"Attacked by what?" Giles asked.

"Twilight," Buffy said. "Tara, Will, she got knocked out. Can you guys check her for a concussion?" She stood up straight, meeting her Watcher's look. "He said he just wanted to talk. He still kicked my ass, though. He looked human, but I couldn't be sure because he's wearing a mask. He looked like a guy, tall too, but the way he moves, I've never seen anything like it. And he's strong." She glanced down at Willow. "And he can fly."

"Whoa. Did he say anything?" the witch asked, looking up at her friend from checking on Satsu.

Buffy shook her head. "More of the same stuff the Guardians were telling us. The world can't handle multiple slayers. He said I made things worse activating them." She sighed. "Maybe I did. We can't get control over these rogues, there's more girls everyday that show up for training. If I had just left them alone, they could have had normal lives."

Xander spoke up. "Buffy, if you hadn't done what you did, the world would have been overrun by the uber-vamps. You might have given them different lives than they would have had otherwise, but you've done something amazing here. You've given them somewhere to come to, to get to understand what they are and how they fit in the world. You give these girls something stable, something they can count on."

She looked at him, releasing a deep breath. "It doesn't feel like that to me. Nothing here feels stable to me. We're constantly knocked on our asses by some new enemy. They're coming from all over the place, and we have no idea how to fight them."

He reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to say it, but that's nothing new for us, Buffy. We're always one step behind. At first. Then we figure out a plan and we go kick some evil ass. We'll get there. And you might not feel it, but I know those girls do. They look up to you, they trust you. You're the foundation of everything that we're doing here. No matter how many slayers there are in the world now, you're still _the_ Slayer. You don't feel the stability because you're providing it, but they do."

She cracked a tiny smile. "So I didn't completely screw up everything?"

"No," Giles interjected. "No one could have done any better, Buffy."

She looked around the room at the Scoobies. "Well, I couldn't have done any of it without you guys. Xander, can you help me carry Satsu to her room? She's kind of out of it." She looked to the witches. "She doesn't have a concussion, does she?"

"No, she's just out," Tara responded. "It's safe for her to stay asleep. Someone should check on her before too long, though."

Buffy nodded, leaning over to sling one of the slayer's arms over her shoulder as Xander took the other side. "I'll have Kennedy come up and stay with her. Morning lessons should be done soon." She hesitated in the doorway. "Will, can I talk to you in private?"

The two witches exchanged looks. "Sure, Buffy. I'll wait for you in your room?"

Buffy started out the door and stopped again. "Actually, Tara I need to talk to you too."

"Okay," Tara said, looking at Willow again, confused.

The two witches went into the Slayer's bedroom while Giles went back to work on the book.

Buffy and Xander were stopped as they reached the stairs, a worried Kennedy rushing up from the ground floor. "Buffy, Satsu never came back last…" her voice trailed off as she saw her unconscious roommate in between the Slayer and Watcher. "What happened? Is she okay? Move," she demanded, pushing Xander out of the way and taking his spot carrying Satsu. He waited for Buffy's nod before he left, going down the stairs.

Kennedy helped Buffy carry Satsu up to their room before she started questioning her again. "Buffy, seriously, what happened? Is she okay?" The dark haired slayer grimaced, looking protectively over the unconscious girl. "She would be alright if she wasn't always trying to…" she said lowly, trailing off as she gave Buffy a sidelong glance of reproof.

Buffy nodded, distracted and completely missing Kennedy's look. "She's okay. Just sleeping. Twilight knocked her out, but Will and Tara looked her over, she doesn't have a concussion." The Slayer looked over her shoulder. "I actually should get back down there; can you stay up here and watch her? I'll make sure Xander covers the rest of your class." Kennedy nodded, not looking away from her unconscious roommate.

A few minutes later, Buffy came back, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

"I figured out who kissed me," she announced as soon as the door was closed.

Willow's eyes widened. "Really? How? Who?"

Tara was watching her friend carefully. "It was Satsu, wasn't it?" she guessed, as Willow gaped at her.

Buffy nodded, pacing in front of her bed. "I had no idea, but I borrowed her lip balm the other day and it was the same flavor. I could taste it when I woke up. Cinnamon, but not like spicy cinnamon flavor, but like sticky buns or something, really sweet. And last night we were out and I asked her about it and she confirmed it." She stopped pacing to stare at the witches. "You guys have to help me. What do I do?"

Willow stepped forward and put her hands on the Slayer's shoulders. "Well, Buffy, first of all, is there something there? Do you like her?"

"Of course I like her, she's practically the…oh, you mean do I like her like you like Tara."

The witches exchanged affectionate smiles. "If you like her like that, then you've been hiding something pretty huge from us. I just mean, is there something there? Is there a chance you have feelings for her?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I've been too busy. I'm not a lesbian. I don't know how to handle this. What do I do? I've never had a girl admit to being in love with me." Buffy's words were rapid, her voice growing higher with every word as her anxiety increased.

Tara sighed. "If you have feelings for her, then you should ask her out. If you don't, I think you should tell her. Its rough to not have your feelings returned. It's worse to know that the whole issue is just hanging out there. It's going to be driving her crazy to not know how you feel about the whole thing." Tara's tone was calm and slow and she took a step forward to rest a hand on Buffy's shoulder, stopping the Slayer's panicked walking.

Willow nodded. "And Tara knows this from personal experience, trust her advice."

The Slayer glanced between the two women, nodding. "You're right. I just need to talk to her, let her down gently." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Damn it. She's gonna hate me."

Willow shook her head. "No, she's not. It might be easier for her if she could. You'll just have to give her some space. Maybe give her some time off."

"You're right. I'll go check on her after the afternoon class and I'll talk to her." She took a deep breath. "This sucks."

"We know it does sweetie, but it'll be so much worse if you don't deal with it now," Tara said sympathetically, feeling Willow's hand slip into hers and squeeze gently.

Buffy shut her eyes, nodding. "Thanks guys. I appreciate the help." She opened her eyes. "Let's go help the guys. I'm sure Giles is going to flip out if I don't get out there and give him a second-by-second playback of meeting Twilight."

Willow looked at her carefully. "You're okay, right? He didn't hurt you?"

"No, he just flew me around a little bit, which was unpleasant, but he didn't hurt me." She shrugged, correcting herself. "At least no more than anyone else has. He did smack me with a church roof," she commented, rubbing lightly at the back of her head.

They discussed Buffy's encounter until she had to leave to teach the afternoon lesson and take over from Xander covering for Kennedy. After class she went back up to the third floor and checked on Satsu, sending Kennedy out so they could have a private conversation. Buffy didn't speak to anyone about what had happened when she got back, just went into her room silently and the witches left her alone.

Satsu and Buffy both spent the next day in their beds, trying to recover some of their lost sleep. Kennedy was insistent that Satsu be relieved of her duties for the day, and Willow and Tara kept Xander and Giles from going into Buffy's room, not sure how her talk with Satsu had gone. Willow finally had to go check on her Saturday morning, wanting to make sure she was going to be able to make it to dinner with Dawn.

The Slayer rolled over as her best friend came into her bedroom. "What's going on? What's the crisis?"

Willow grinned. "No crisis. Unless you count meeting Dawn's boyfriend tonight."

Buffy sat upright in bed immediately. "That's today?"

"Yeah. You must have lost track of the days since you slept through Friday. When you didn't show up for lunch yesterday we checked to make sure you weren't under another dream curse and just left you alone. Nothing happened that we couldn't handle." Willow sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're sure you weren't hurt fighting Twilight?"

The Slayer nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I didn't realize how exhausted I was. I slept through Friday?"

The witch nodded. "Yeah. We thought about letting you sleep until it's time to leave, but Kennedy needs you for some kind of inspection. She said something about a party tonight so she wants to crack the whip before they get to relax." Willow hesitated, smiling. "She seemed really worried about Satsu. She's dragged me up there to check on her three times already today. She's fine, by the way. She slept about as long as you did, but she's up and moving now."

"Okay, thanks Will." She yawned. "I'll be out in a few minutes." Willow stood up to leave but Buffy spoke again. "Hey, how are we getting to Berkley?"

Willow grinned. "Xander wants to take his new helicopter. He just got it yesterday. We tried to tell him that it's ridiculously conspicuous, but he doesn't care. We can take one of the cars. Oh, and it's a nice restaurant so Dawn said to class it up." She rolled her eyes. "And that we're paying for dinner."

"Dawn said that, huh?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah she called while you were sleeping yesterday. The phone was right by your head and you didn't move a muscle."

The Slayer shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Thanks, Will. I'm going to take a shower and I'll meet Kennedy in the basement."

They finally finished their work for the day and loaded up in the car for the long drive to Berkley. They found the restaurant on time and a waiter led them to the table where Dawn and Kenny were waiting. The young man was obviously nervous and stood up to shake everyone's hand. Buffy went last, her sister shooting glares at her the whole time until she released Kenny's hand.

"Kenny, this is my sister Buffy, and these are our friends." Everyone waved as they were introduced and they sat down at the table.

"Y'all must be very close to all come to meet me. I was just expecting family," Kenny commented, glancing around the table.

"We are family. We all love Dawn very much," Tara said quickly, cutting off Xander, who looked like he was about to start a lecture, one finger already lifted to point at Kenny. The one eyed man dropped his hand at a glare from Dawn.

"We might not share blood, but we are family. Giles took care of us after our mom died, and Willow and Tara moved in after Buffy…had to leave for a while. And Xander has been watching over me since I was little. He and Willow and Buffy have all been friends since high school," Dawn explained, taking Kenny's hand on the table.

"Oh, okay, cool. Well, what do you want to know about me?" Kenny offered bravely.

Xander's mouth dropped open again and Willow stepped on his foot, smiling cheerfully at Kenny the whole time. "How about where you're from? You're obviously not English."

He shook his head. "No ma'am. I'm actually from Georgia."

Willow's eyes widened. "That explains you calling me ma'am. You can just call me Willow. I'm not old enough to be a ma'am." She glanced at Tara. _"Am I a ma'am? How come you didn't say anything? Am I dressed mom-ish or something?"_

Tara hid her laughter by taking a sip of her drink. _"No, you're not mom-ish. I think you look amazing. Definitely not old enough to be anyone's mother. You're gorgeous." _Her free hand moved to Willow's leg under the table, rubbing soothing circles with her thumb over the material of Willow's dress.

Kenny smiled, nodding. "Yes ma'am…I mean, thank you, Willow."

They continued to question the polite young man throughout the meal, careful to keep their own story as vague as possible. They thought they'd been doing a good job until Kenny asked plainly how the new slayers were doing.

Buffy shot a look at her sister. "I didn't say anything!" Dawn defended herself. She looked at her boyfriend. "What makes you think we know anything about the slayers?"

He smiled at her. "Well, besides the confirmation you just gave me, I'm a thrice wise."

Willow's jaw dropped and Giles looked surprised. "Really?" she asked, eyes wide.

Buffy glanced cautiously between the witch and Kenny. "What does that mean?"

Giles cleared his throat. "A thrice wise is a being with the ability to discern the truth of any situation. It's impossible to lie to a thrice wise." He studied the young man thoughtfully. "Why let us hide the truth this long?"

"I don't mean to invade your privacy. I never do. It's not something I can control. Dawn told me you work with youth and I just knew it. That's how it works. Whatever the truth is comes through clearer than the lie." He looked over at Dawn. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"So it's impossible to lie to you, but you don't have a problem lying to someone else?" Xander asked, taking his opportunity to play the protective older brother.

Dawn shot a look at him. "Xander, I'll handle this." The one eyed man wilted unwillingly, shooting a glare at Kenny.

The young man sighed. "I didn't mean to lie to you Dawn. I just…it's hard to tell people the truth. And then I learned about your sister and I knew that you knew what it was like to have to hide things about yourself."

Dawn shook her head. "Is there anything else you haven't told me?" Her voice was serious. "Anything you're hiding?"

He shook his head. "No." He glanced guiltily at Willow. "I should tell you though, ma'am, that I could hear you and your wife talking earlier."

Willow's jaw dropped again. "What? How could you possibly hear that?"

He shrugged. "That's part of it. No one can hide anything from me."

Willow dropped her head into her hands, groaning. Buffy looked between the two witches. "Will, you okay? What were you guys talking about?"

Xander looked curiously at Kenny. "Was it dirty? You can tell me."

Willow's face came up to shoot a glare across the table at him.

"Xander!" Tara chided, blushing.

Kenny shook his head, smiling cautiously. "No sir, it wasn't." He waited until the redheaded witch's gaze shifted back to him. "Your wife is right, you look incredible. If you don't mind me saying, that is."

Tara's hand covered Willow's on the table, squeezing gently. "Thank you, Kenny. And thanks for being honest with us." A thought occurred to her and she continued. "You can't read our minds, can you?"

He shook his head again. "No, ma'am. The only reason I could hear you talking to her was because you were consciously communicating with each other. I can't read minds."

Buffy frowned thoughtfully. "So, if Dawn knew something that she needed to keep secret, how would she be able to do that?"

"She just couldn't talk about it with me. No matter what she told me, I'd find out whatever the truth is. You're talking about slayer secrets, I assume."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. We have a lot going on that needs to stay quiet."

Dawn sighed. "I think I get how it works. I'll be careful, Buffy." Her sister nodded to her. "Thanks for telling me, Kenny." She looked around the table. "I hate to eat and run, but I think we need to go talk."

The others nodded. Buffy stood up to hug her sister. "I'll call you tomorrow. We've had some…encounters since you left." She glanced at her sister's boyfriend. "I love you, Dawn."

The rest shook hands with Kenny, hugging Dawn as the pair got up to leave. Buffy dropped back into her seat. "I don't know about anyone else, but I could use a drink."

Tara smiled gently at her. "I thought it went okay."

Willow nodded. "I'm just glad we weren't talking about anything private up here." She tapped herself on the forehead.

Xander perked up. "So there is some spicy talk going on up there sometimes?"

"Xander, I would stop now if you want to make it home tonight," Willow said warningly without looking at him.

Buffy signaled the waiter to bring another round of drinks, but Tara declined hers. "I'll drive, you guys go ahead."

"I guess there's no reason he can't come home with her on weekends and stuff now. As long as we're careful who he talks to," Buffy commented. "And I'd get to make him sleep in the basement or something." She grinned at the thought and Willow and Tara exchanged glances.

"Or he could sleep on the couch in the living room," Tara suggested. "It's not like they'd try anything with you right next door."

Buffy nodded. "That's a good idea. I don't want him far away. Got to keep him close. If he was in the basement, Dawn would just sneak downstairs."

They stayed at the restaurant until closing time. Buffy had given the girls permission for a party so she felt no guilt about getting herself cheerfully drunk. The others weren't far behind her.

By the time they got back to the castle, Giles and Tara had to try and quietly herd their friends up the stairs. Willow was giggling and her hands wouldn't stop moving as soon as they got out of the car. Tara jumped in surprise and yelped as she felt the redhead grab her butt while they were walking up the steps. Giles turned to look back down at her from where he was pulling Buffy and Xander by their arms up the stairs. Tara blushed brightly, grabbing Willow's hand to pull her up the rest of the stairs without incident.

She pushed her wife gently into their room, shutting the door before she went back to help Giles with the inebriated Slayer. They finally got her into bed, Giles leaving to help Xander while Tara helped Buffy into her pajamas. When Tara finally made it back to her own room, Willow was jumping on their bed. As soon as she saw her wife, she jumped down off the bed, rushing to hug her, her hands landing on her lover's butt again.

Tara laughed as Willow hugged her. "You're lucky everyone is too drunk to remember you being all handsy. You'd be so embarrassed in the morning if I thought you were going to remember." Tara walked them slowly to the bed, letting Willow keep her hands where they were. "Baby, are you feeling okay? You're not going to be sick or anything, are you?"

Willow shook her head excitedly. "Nope, I feel good."

Tara looked at her doubtfully. "Are you sure? You were jumping up and down. That didn't upset your tummy?" she asked, one hand moving to rest lightly on her redhead's stomach.

Willow shook her head again, her face gradually losing its excitement. "On second thought." She took a deep breath. "Maybe I should…"

Tara smiled gently. "Let's get you in bed, sweetie." She helped her wife out of her dress and into a tank top and shorts, giving her a hand into bed. Tara headed toward the bathroom to get herself ready for bed, stopping when she heard Willow call her name. She turned around slowly, an affectionate smile on her face. "What is it, Willow?"

"You look really pretty tonight, Tara," Willow said, smiling across the room at her.

The blonde blushed. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Willow patted the bed next to her. "Come back?"

Tara nodded, laughing. "Of course I will. I just need a minute to brush my teeth and wash my face. I'll be right back."

She expected the red head to be asleep when she got back to the bed, but Willow snuggled into her immediately. "Sleepy, sweetie?"

Her wife yawned widely, shaking her head. "Nope."

Tara laughed. "I think you're lying. How about if you lay still and quiet for twenty minutes and you can't fall asleep, we can get back up, okay?"

Willow nodded, rolling onto her side and pulling Tara with her so that they were curled together. Tara's arm was over the redhead's waist and her fingers trailed lightly over Willow's stomach. She lay still for a few minutes before she spoke again, her voice obviously sleepy. "Tara?"

The blonde couldn't hold back her smile. "Yes, my love?"

"Could you sing to me? Just a little? Please?"

Tara tilted her head to press a kiss to her lover's cheek. "Of course I will."

Willow was asleep before she finished her song.


	21. Chapter 20

Tara woke up before anyone else the next morning, leaving Willow in bed asleep. She went down to the kitchen and made breakfast for the Scoobies. The castle was unnaturally quiet and she assumed that meant the slayers' party had gone well. It was so quiet that another person's entrance was enough to get her attention. She looked up from her cooking to watch Kennedy walk slowly into the kitchen, blinking blearily.

"Good morning, Kennedy. How was the party?"

The dark haired slayer had her hand up to shade her eyes from the light. "It was pretty good. How was your dinner? That's what Buffy said it was, right? Dinner with her sister or something?"

Tara nodded, smiling. "It was good. We stayed until closing time after Dawn and her boyfriend left. I volunteered to be the designated driver. They're all upstairs sleeping it off so I came down here to make breakfast." She gestured to the stove. "I've got more than enough food if you want to join us," she offered.

Kennedy studied her for a long moment before she nodded with a small smile. "Thanks, I'd like that." She glanced around the kitchen. "Do you know where there're some painkillers around here? Satsu's taken all of ours in the last few days and I haven't made it into town to get some more."

Tara laughed, careful to keep it quiet. "I have some upstairs. If you can carry this up with you, I'll get them for you." She piled the last of the pancakes on a plate, handing it to Kennedy, taking another one piled with eggs, bacon, and toast herself.

Everyone was still asleep when they got to the suite. Tara pushed some books carefully to the side and they set the plates on the table. Kennedy took a seat and Tara went to get the pills from her bathroom. The slayer looked up as the medicine bottle was placed in front of her.

"I'm sure everybody's going to need some of those. They were all a little…inebriated."

Kennedy smiled, fiddling with the bottle. "Is Willow a funny drunk? I saw her drink some, but she never got out of control."

Tara laughed. "She was really hyper, giggling and jumping on the bed last night. It made her kind of sick, but she didn't throw up or anything. And she wouldn't admit she was sleepy."

Kennedy's smile turned thoughtful and sad. "The first time I went out with Willow, well, I kind of tricked her really…she was going to leave, but I asked her to stay for one drink. One turned into a couple, but she didn't get drunk or anything." She glanced up at Tara, biting her lip. "You were all she talked about."

Tara took the seat next to the dark-haired slayer, surprised and not quite sure what to say. "Kennedy? What…?"

The dark-haired slayer shook her head, lifting one hand to stop Tara from speaking further. "I don't know why I brought that up. I'm sorry, Tara. It may sound hard to believe after that little…relapse, but I really am over Willow. Same as always, she's all yours." She managed a genuine smile which Tara returned. "I just thought you would like to know. You know, about the date."

Kennedy shook her pills into one hand to end the silence and Tara gestured to the plates. "Thank you, Kennedy. Help yourself to some food if your stomach can handle it. Everybody should be wandering in soon. Xander has a nose like you wouldn't believe. He can smell food from miles away. Buffy was kind of out of it, she'll probably come in last. And Giles takes a while to recover. If he comes in he'll stay quiet," she said, keeping her voice down.

They served themselves some food, telling stories about their respective evenings. Just as Tara had predicted, Xander was the first one out, hesitating in the doorway as he noticed the identities of the girls at the table. They were both smiling and laughing so he cautiously joined them at the table, snagging some food for himself.

Willow was the next to show up, joining the group at the table without looking. She leaned over the back of Tara's chair, hugging her around the shoulders. "Thanks for taking care of me last night, baby." She pressed a kiss to her wife's cheek.

Tara turned her head to smile at her, catching a short kiss. "You're welcome, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"I'm thirsty," Willow commented, swallowing, and Tara immediately handed a glass of water back to her. Willow drank it quickly and Tara took the empty glass back with a smile as the redhead leaned back in to hug her again. "Thank you, baby," the redhead said quietly. Willow pulled back, finally noticing Kennedy at the table.

The dark-haired slayer was watching them, a small but genuine smile on her face. She cleared her throat, blinking, and greeted the new arrival, "Good morning, Willow. I guess we all had a little fun last night."

The redhead grinned cautiously, nodding. "Your girls have a good time?"

Kennedy nodded, grinning herself. "If they didn't, we wasted a lot of good alcohol. Tara's been telling me about your dinner. It sounds like you guys had a good time too."

The redhead glanced between the two women, both of whom were smiling. "I'm glad you two have had so much time to talk. How much time have you been talking?" she asked nervously.

Tara laughed. "We were the first ones awake in the castle. She came in the kitchen looking for aspirin and I was making breakfast for the Scoobies so I invited her to join us." She gestured to the bottle. "I'm sure you want some of these too. Your head has to be killing you."

Willow grimaced, taking the bottle and swallowing several pills as she took a seat next to Tara. "Thanks, Tara." She served herself some food as Buffy and Giles finally joined them. Giles stayed quiet, just popping pills and pouring himself some tea.

Buffy frowned as she noticed Kennedy. "It's too early and I'm too hung over to do work right now. What are you doing here?"

Tara grinned at her. "Buffy, she just came to eat breakfast with us. I think the other slayers are in a similar state as you are. I don't think there will be much work for you to do today."

The Slayer dropped into a chair. "Thank God. Give me the pills." She held a hand out for the bottle. Giles handed it over and Buffy took a few. "Is anyone else feeling like the room is throbbing?" Everyone else just stared at her and she shrugged. "Just me then…great."

Tara pushed the last of the food over to the Slayer and Watcher. "Have something to eat. It'll make you feel better." Xander snatched a piece of toast from the plate as it slid past him and Tara shot a look at him.

"We might not have a lot of actual work to do, but we should put some of them on cleaning. The yard has to be trashed," Kennedy said, head leaning on one hand.

Buffy nodded slowly, pulling some pancakes onto a plate and munching on them plain, not bothering with a fork. "We'll see who shows up at lunch. They can help us. That's probably the extent of my planning abilities right now."

Willow looked at them, frowning thoughtfully. "I could try and clean it with, you know, magic."

Tara shook her head immediately. "If anyone's going to cast any spells today, I'll do it. You're still a little out of it, Will." Her hand closed gently over Willow's on the table, her thumb stroking idly over the back of it.

The redhead nodded, giving her a small smile. "Okay. My head _is _still a little spinny."

Tara smiled gently at her, pulling her hand up to kiss the back of it. "You should go lay back down once you finish eating. I can come check on you in a little bit."

"I'm fine for now. We'll see how my tummy feels after this food gets there," Willow said, smiling back at her wife.

"It's fine, Will. We'll just make the least hung over ones clean," Buffy assured them.

Kennedy smirked. "If we're punishing them, shouldn't we make the most hung over ones clean?"

Buffy blinked. "We're punishing them? I just wanted to get it done so I can go back to bed."

The dark haired slayer shrugged. "That's a good plan too. And I guess it's not like they had the party without permission. It would be mean to punish them. We'll just have to make everybody work. The wasted ones are already hating life anyways. We can't make it much worse for them."

Buffy nodded, chugging a glass of water. "That's the plan, then. Cleaning after lunch and then back to bed."

Xander looked at them blearily. "But what are we doing until lunch?"

Buffy stared at him for a long moment. "Something in the dark and quiet."

"Bed?" he suggested, looking around the table. He got nods from everyone and he grinned triumphantly.

Tara rolled her eyes. "You should all be glad Dawn's not here to see this. She'd be having fun banging pot lids together."

"Shoot, Dawn. I said I'd call her," Buffy groaned as she remembered. She pointed a finger warningly at Tara. "And don't you be giving her ideas about the pot lid thing."

The blonde smirked. "I'm not the one who got drunk last night."

The Slayer looked at Willow. "We need to get her drunk, Will. So she can feel our pain."

Willow looked thoughtfully at her wife. Tara was leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest with a small smile on her face, watching Willow without speaking. "I don't think we can do it. She's very responsible," Willow commented, smirking at the Slayer and shaking her head.

Buffy shrugged. "Well we should try some time."

Xander grinned. "I'm video taping that."

Willow looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "I can kill you, Xander."

He just nodded, ignoring her threat. "It would be _so_ worth it. A video of the three of you drunk would be priceless." Tara just stared at him for a long moment and he stood up. "You know, I think I'm feeling that throbbing room thing Buffy mentioned. I'll see you all at lunch."

He retreated back to his room, Willow calling after him, laughing, "And I'm the one who's whipped, Xander?"

Tara rolled her eyes, standing up to clean up the dishes. "How are you coping, Kennedy? Are you going to make it to lunch without another trip to bed?"

The dark-haired slayer glanced at her as she handed over her plate. "I'm feeling much better, but I should probably check on Satsu. She didn't party as hard as some of the other girls, but I still want to keep an eye on her since she's had a rough week. I think I'll head that way. Thanks for breakfast, it was really nice of you to invite me. You're a really good cook."

"You're welcome to stay here, but it's really great of you to look after your roommate like that," Tara said. "I'm glad you decided to come up and eat with us and I hope Satsu is feeling better soon."

Kennedy sighed, nodding as she stood up. "Thanks for the invite. I had a good time."

Tara watched her go, looking down as Willow took her hand. "You're sweet to invite her. Thank you."

The blonde nodded. "You get back to bed, sweetie. I'll come check on you once I get these dishes washed."

Buffy wandered back to her room and Giles, still without speaking, went back to his room and turned on his record player very, very low. Willow moved to help Tara with gathering the dishes, but the blonde pushed her gently to their room. "Go, get comfortable, and I'll be in there in a few minutes."

Willow pouted at her, shaking her head. "Can't really get comfortable until you're there."

"That's sweet, baby. Just try, for me. I promise I'll be there in five minutes." She pushed Willow back to their room, swatting her gently on the butt. "Time me if you want." Willow looked over her shoulder, surprised. "Just don't jump on the bed. I don't want you to throw up," she called after her.

Willow was in bed when she got back to the room and her lover promptly informed her that she was two minutes and fifteen seconds late. Tara sat down on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through Willow's hair. The redhead was staring up at her with a strange look on her face. "What is it? Willow, are you okay? Are you going to be sick?"

Willow shook her head. "That was a really nice thing you did this morning."

Tara shrugged with a small smile. "You know I'd make breakfast for you any time. You don't have to be hung over."

"Not that. That was sweet, and thank you. I was talking about inviting Kennedy to come over. That was really sweet of you. Thank you, baby."

Tara's fingers ran down to touch her face. "Of course. I didn't want her to be all alone. Especially since it's my fault."

"You didn't get the other slayers drunk," Willow protested.

Tara shook her head, running a fingertip down Willow's nose. "I was talking about the other kind of alone." The redhead craned her head up to kiss her lover's hand as it moved over her face.

"That wasn't your fault either. I'm just glad it's getting better with her." She reached up to take Tara's hand. "Will you lay here with me? Or are you too awake and not hung over?"

Tara shook her head. "I'd rather stay with you than do anything, Will. Where do you want me?" The redhead smirked and Tara quickly clarified, "For snuggles. If your head is still spinny you don't need to be doing anything resembling sex."

"Oh, but I think it's suddenly feeling better," Willow claimed. Tara leaned over for a kiss, sliding into bed with her. "Much better," Willow breathed as Tara pulled back. The blonde just shook her head, opening her arms. Willow tucked herself in close, Tara's arms tight around her. "This is good too."

Tara smiled. "I'm glad you think so."

"Not good like being under you would be, but still good."

Tara blushed brightly. "Kennedy asked me how you were drunk," she said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Oh yeah? What did you tell her?"

"How much do you remember from last night?"

"Not much. I know you stopped me jumping on the bed. And I remember you sang to me."

Tara tilted her head down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're a very horny drunk, Will. Your hands wouldn't sit still. You grabbed my butt in front of Giles on the way upstairs last night."

Willow grinned, laughing. "It must have been so horrible for you," she teased.

Tara laughed too. "Now you know I have no problem at all with you touching me, I'd just rather not do anything in front of Giles. We've traumatized that poor man enough."

"He should be used to it by now. I'm not apologizing. I know what I want, even if I was a little wasted." She pressed kisses across Tara's neck, feeling her exhale slowly. "Even if some people won't give it to me."

"Willow," Tara breathed her name, struggling to control herself. She could feel Willow's mouth moving against her skin in an effort to distract her. "You told me I looked pretty last night." The sentence slipped out as an attempt to slow her lover down.

It worked slightly and Willow pulled her head back a little, leaning up on one elbow to look down at her wife. "I always think you look pretty. You're a beautiful woman." She smiled and pecked the end of Tara's nose with a kiss. "It shouldn't take me being drunk to tell you, but I always think you look beautiful. That dress you were wearing last night was incredible." Her smile slid into a smirk. "It's a shame I didn't get to help you take it off. I had all kinds of plans."

Tara raised an eyebrow, smiling up at her. "Oh really?"

Willow nodded. "I'm just glad I didn't tell you about them last night. Kenny would have gotten some killer mental images." She leaned down for a kiss. "And then I'd have had to kill him."

Tara laughed. "Kill him? Isn't that a little severe? Xander's as much as told you that he thinks about us like that and you don't kill him."

"Xander's just imagining, Kenny would have been able to see the truth. You're mine, I'm not willing to share. He's already seen Dawn…no, if he had seen you too, he'd be a dead man."

The blonde laughed again. "Xander's right, you're flexible with the caveman mentality."

Willow shrugged. "I don't mean 'you're mine' like I own you or something. I just mean that you're my wife and I don't have to share you. And that includes keeping little deviants from getting a peep show at my woman."

Tara grinned, obviously amused. "But it doesn't matter that Xander spends his free time imagining us together?"

"Xander knows to keep his hands off," Willow said simply.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Kenny didn't look like he was going to jump me in the restaurant, Will. As a matter of fact, you're the one he complimented."

Willow scoffed, waving her evidence away. "That doesn't matter. He's a hormonal boy. I know exactly what he was thinking."

"I think you're being a little ridiculous."

The redhead's jaw dropped. "I am not! I know perfectly well how sexy you are without even trying. It doesn't just work on me…" She started to say something else, but Tara's kiss cut her off. She responded immediately, her hand coming up to hold her lover's face.

Tara pulled back abruptly. "You tricked me!" Willow was just grinning at her happily.

"I wasn't trying to trick you! I was trying to prove to you once and for all that Kenny, and every other male in the universe notices how gorgeous you are."

Tara kissed her again. "Are you positive that your head is feeling better? I don't want you to feel bad."

The redhead shook her head, breathing hard. "I'm fine. Kiss me again." Tara complied instantly and Willow rolled onto her back, pulling the blonde over on top of her.

Tara pulled back again, causing Willow to let out a frustrated groan. "Tell me if I need to stop."

Willow grabbed her wife's face with both hands, making her look straight into her eyes. "You need to start, baby. Now."

* * *

The witches didn't show up at lunch but Buffy let them off the hook for cleaning. They got the lawn cleaned up and Xander organized a smaller squad to take the night watch for the castle before they all went back to bed right before dusk.

Tara was surprised to find their room bathed in darkness as she woke up. She was more surprised to discover that Willow wasn't in bed with her. She could feel that her wife was somewhere nearby, but was having a hard time narrowing it down for some reason. She got dressed quickly and went across the living room to Buffy's door, following Willow's presence. The redheaded witch wasn't in the Slayer's room but she was somewhere close by. Tara had barely touched the knob before Xander rushed into their suite and ran towards Buffy's room.

The Slayer rolled over as he barged in, sitting up alertly. Xander explained in a rush. "There's fog Buffy, outside."

She stared at him. "We live in Scotland, there's always fog."

"Yeah, but there's not always wolves in the fog. I think something's going on."

"Hence the wake up." She looked at the blonde witch. "What's up, Tara?"

"I can't find Willow."

Buffy frowned. "What do you mean, you can't find her? What about your connection?"

Tara opened her mouth to explain, but there was a rumbling crash above them and Xander snatched her quickly out of the way of falling rubble as the ceiling of Buffy's bedroom collapsed. He stepped forward, looking up through the hole through the third floor to the night sky outside. He jumped back again as some of the debris shifted, Willow pushing herself up on her hands from underneath it. There was blood on her face and her arms were trembling from the effort of pushing her upper body off the floor.

She looked around the room, dazed. "We're under attack." Xander barely caught her as she dropped, falling to his knees in the dirt and stone to keep her head from hitting the floor. He lifted her to her feet carefully, Tara shifting stone off of Willow's legs quickly.

"You okay? Can you stand? Anything broken?" he asked, looking her over rapidly.

Willow shook her head. "I'll be good in a few minutes. You guys go. We'll catch up." Tara jumped forward to support her as Buffy and Xander rushed out.

"What happened?" Tara asked anxiously as Willow looked up through the hole.

"I've got to get back out there," Willow said, shaking dust and rocks from her limbs, wincing as she felt pain shoot through one arm, and stubbornly ignoring the pain in her side. Tara opened her mouth to object, but Willow shook her head firmly. "Vampires are attacking. There's one with powers." She corrected herself. "They all have powers, but she's a witch. She's strong."

"You're hurt, Willow. You can't fight like this," Tara argued. Willow stood up straighter and cautiously put weight on her right foot, keeping one hand on Tara's shoulder to steady herself.

"I have to, Tara. Whatever they're doing here, we have to stop them. They don't dust like normal vamps, they don't die. And they can turn into wolves, and panthers, and fog." Willow looked up again, seeing the vampire witch fly over the castle. "I've got to go. You go help Buffy and Xander. They're going to need you." She pulled Tara close for a quick kiss. "And please be careful. Call if you need me."

"You too," Tara demanded as Willow took off though the hole she'd fallen through. The blonde witch grabbed a bag of supplies and hurried to catch up to their friends. The slayers were fighting all over the yard and Tara joined the Wicca squad on the balcony, launching fireballs down at the battles on the ground, trying to catch the vampires on fire. They weren't having any success but managed to keep them distracted until their foes abruptly dissolved into fog around them, dissipating into the woods and leaving the castle suddenly and eerily silent.

Tara immediately reached out to Willow, feeling her wife's presence in the front hall of the castle. She rushed that way, stopping a few times to help injured slayers to their feet. From the top of the stairs she could see Xander pacing while Willow was helping wounded. Buffy was talking anxiously to Giles, the Watcher looking worried.

"_You okay?"_ Willow's voice was anxious.

"_I'm fine. How are you?"_

"_I think my arm's broken, and maybe a few ribs. I can heal it, but I don't have the time to concentrate on it right now."_

"_What happened?"_

"_They stole the scythe. Buffy's freaked."_

"_What happened to your arm, Willow?" _Tara asked again, heading down the stairs with a wounded girl leaning on her arm.

"_I think it broke when I fell."_

"_And you went back out?"_

"_I didn't know it was broken,"_ Willow said in her defense._ "It might have been one of the spells she hit me with. Anyway, I figured out it was broken when I tried to cast a spell against the witch vamp. My aim was way off."_

"_Willow," _Tara sighed. _"Where were you when I woke up? I couldn't tell where you were."_

"_Oh, that. I was falling. She smacked me down pretty hard."_

"_She smashed you hard enough to crash you through two floors? Oh my God, Willow!"_

Anything else Tara was going to say was paused as they all turned to look at a yelling Xander. They joined the Scoobies, Willow sliding her good hand into Tara's, her other arm pulled protectively up to her chest. She shot a surprised look at her wife as she felt Tara's magic start working on healing her injuries. She squeezed her hand, smiling gratefully at her.

"I've got it! They have the same kind of powers as Dracula. Maybe he knows who they are or how to defeat them." Xander explained his outburst.

Buffy nodded, glancing at Giles. "Good work, Xander. Can you go talk to him?"

"Not alone," Willow chimed in immediately, still not trusting the ancient vampire with her best friend even though the two had stayed in touch and Dracula had been nothing but a friend to the carpenter. Tara shot a look at her, squeezing her good hand tightly. "I can't go though. I'm hurt. I'm going to have to concentrate to get healed."

Xander nodded. "I can take Renee. I owe her a date anyway."

"That doesn't count!" the slayer in question yelled across the room at them, grinning at the one eyed man. The pair had been dancing around dating for months, but neither one had stepped up and bit the bullet enough to actually ask each other out.

"Fine, thanks, Xander," Buffy said distractedly and he took off, collecting Renee on his way out the door. Her gaze shifted to the witches. "Will, what's the story on that witch?"

"She's a vampire too. She was calling to me. I was asleep, she forced her…" The redhead's voice trailed off. "It felt like when Saga Vasuki was contacting me. Except for the groping, no groping this time. It woke me up." She looked at Tara. "You didn't feel it?"

The blonde shook her head, frowning. "It wasn't coming from you. I just woke up because I got cold. You didn't scream?"

Willow shook her head. "No, I guess I'm strong enough now that it doesn't hurt."

Buffy surveyed her friend briefly. "How long do you need to heal?"

Willow shrugged with her good shoulder. "A few hours? Less if Tara keeps helping me." She glanced down at their joined hands. "Even though I don't think she should." Tara opened her mouth to protest and Willow quickly continued. "Tara, if something else happens and we're both weak a lot of people could die. I can heal myself on my own, and you'll still be ready if something happens."

"I'll help," Buffy offered. Willow started to protest, but Buffy cut her off. "We need everyone back to good as soon as possible. "I'm fine, so I want to help you get better." She glanced around the wounded girls. "There's not much else for me to do, Will. At least let me help you." She looked at her Watcher. "Giles, we need it figure out what they want the scythe for. And we need to put the word out to the other squads to keep their eyes open and get us some information on these guys."

The older man nodded and started up the stairs to make the phone calls. Buffy organized the girls that weren't wounded to take care of the ones that were and led the witches upstairs. Willow climbed onto the couch facing Buffy and they joined hands while Tara went to the bookshelves to start looking for clues about the identities of their attackers.

She managed to find a few references to the abilities they had, but couldn't find any specific details on how to defeat them although she found a few mentions a gang of vampires with abilities in Japan that looked to be a lead on the vampires that had attacked the castle. Finally, Buffy opened her eyes and stood up from the sofa, helping Willow up gingerly. The redhead stretched her arm carefully, wincing as the newly healed bone pulled at her muscles. Her other hand ran probingly over her previously injured ribs.

"I'm okay. Thanks, Buffy," she said, still bending her elbow. "It's just a little sore."

The Slayer nodded, smiling at her friend. "Glad I could help. I'm going to check in with Giles, see if we've made any progress. I guess we should pack too, just as a precaution. I get the feeling we're going to need to go to Japan," she commented, reading over Tara's shoulder.

Sure enough, the squad leader in Japan called Buffy and gave her the information they'd been able to gather about the gang that had stolen the scythe. She agreed to meet them when they landed in Tokyo. They heard from Xander a few hours later and Buffy contacted her elite squad to be ready to leave by day break for Japan. Giles was staying at the castle to watch over the wounded and keep up the rookies' lessons, Tara and Willow were going with Buffy and her squad, and Xander, Renee, and Dracula would meet them there.

They packed up their gear and left, landing in Tokyo after midday. As soon as they landed, they discovered their local squad leader killed and strung up in the public square. Buffy cut her down and buried her, staying in the graveyard as she finished her gruesome chore.

Willow and Tara came looking for her after dark, surprised to find Xander and Dracula already there. The vampire handed a sheet of paper to Willow without comment. His gaze turned to Tara. "You again." He sniffed the air delicately. "And you still smell delicious."

Willow scowled at him, stepping in front of Tara protectively. "You stay away from her."

The vampire looked down his nose at her, nonplussed. He stared at Willow for a long moment and the redhead stepped back unwillingly. Dracula picked up Tara's hand gently, brushing his lips over the back of her hand, the sharp tips of his canine teeth showing as he smiled at her and Willow let out a strangled noise but didn't move. The blonde blushed and pulled her hand back slowly.

Tara shook her head as he stepped back from her, glancing guiltily at Willow. "Sorry. That doesn't really get any easier to resist," she said apologetically. They could all see Xander nodding emphatically from behind the vampire's back.

Willow was still scowling at him and reached over to grab Tara's hand tightly. "What is this?" she asked, annoyed, realizing she had the paper Dracula had given her squeezed tightly in her free hand.

"That is the spell you'll need to capture one of these vampires. I assumed you wouldn't know it so I had my manservant write it out for you. The necessary ingredients are listed at the bottom," Dracula said smoothly, ignoring the witch's annoyance with him.

Xander dropped Dracula's suitcases, a long scabbard sliding off his shoulder. "I thought we talked about this. I'm not your manservant!" The vampire just scoffed, waving him off.

Buffy looked at Willow, ignoring the men. "You can work it, right Will?"

The witch nodded and Buffy smiled bitterly. "Great. Renee, how do you feel about being the bait?"

* * *

They had gotten the vampire's plan to reverse Willow's spell and remove the slayers' powers as well as the location of their weapon from the vampire they captured, and set about sneaking into the gang's high rise in downtown Tokyo. Willow stayed outside, floating across the street to create a distraction as the slayers attacked the building, the vampire witch blasting though the window to engage the redheaded witch in combat. It was noon but there were suddenly heavy clouds rolling in over the sun, bringing the vampires out into the streets to battle the slayers. The witches were blasting at each other mercilessly in midair, buildings becoming unfortunate victims of their battle, debris raining on the battle below them.

The vampire leader stood at the broken window with the scythe, watching the fights calmly. The slayers snuck in behind him, none of them making any noise. They realized too late that they were the ones being tricked. Buffy's hand went straight through the scythe as she lunged to take it from him while the real one plunged through Renee's back as the vampire leader materialized behind her. The slayer's breath left in a rush and the others realized their horrible mistake as her blood dripped from the stake end of the weapon as the vampire pulled it out.

Xander caught her body as it fell, Dracula lunging into battle with the vampire leader. They raced up to the roof, the slayers chasing them as the local squad battled the rest of the vampire gang in the streets. At the window, Tara screamed for Buffy as she saw Willow hit by a spell and fall. She was unable to do anything else as one of the Japanese vampires tackled her from behind. They hit the floor hard as Buffy dove out the window after Willow without hesitation.

The vampire was leaning in to bite Tara when she gasped a spell, fire erupting on the vampire's back. Tara got to her feet, rushing to the window. Willow was still falling and Buffy was fighting the vampire witch in midair. Tara shot a spell at the vampire and Buffy used the moment of distraction to stab her. She caught Willow's body and shook her, trying to wake her up before they smashed to the ground. Tara turned the sidewalk to water under them just in time, the water dragging Willow back to consciousness. She choked as she reached the surface, looking up at the building.

"Thanks for the save, Buffy." Her attention was distracted as she saw Satsu dive off the roof high above them, clutching the scythe. She pointed, kicking her feet to tread water. "I'm gonna save her now." She caught the other slayer with her magic, calling out to Tara. _"Can you lift Buffy? We need to get to the roof."_

"Buffy, hang on, Tara's going to lift you up to the roof. Just don't move," Willow warned her, taking off and meeting Satsu in the air, flying them both up to the roof, Buffy following a few feet below them. They landed on the roof, Buffy stumbling as Tara's power released her. Satsu tossed the scythe to Buffy, running back into the battle.

As soon as she released Buffy from her power, Tara was sprinting across the room the where Xander knelt, still holding Renee's bleeding body. The witch dropped to her knees next to them, knowing from the first glance that there was nothing she could do to save the girl, only ease her pain.

Nevertheless, she set to work immediately, her eyes closing and her powers reaching out. Xander was rocking back and forth on his knees, his face haunted as he watched Tara work. He knew in his heart that it was too late, there was too much blood, the light already fading out of her eyes.

Tara worked diligently, her magic repairing damage while her fingers checked the slayer's pulse, the erratic beat under her fingertips fading fast. Her eyes opened and she found Xander's eyes, the inevitable clear in her face. "I can't, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she said quietly and he nodded.

Renee groaned and they both looked down at her. "Can you…give us a minute?" he asked, not looking at Tara.

Her eyes slipped closed again and Tara worked for a moment. Renee's breathing got easier after a second, her eyes fluttering open to find Xander. His hand scrabbled to find Tara's without looking. "Thank you," he murmured and she moved away from them, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.

There were tears in Xander's eyes as he leaned down, her forehead pressing against his mouth. "Xander," she breathed his name, her eyes focused on him. "I, I, I'm sorry."

"Shh," he hushed her. "I'm the one that's sorry, Renee. We…I wasted _so_ much time. All these months…"

A pained smile crossed her mouth. "Does that mean you like me?" she asked, struggling to reach a sarcastic tone over the pain.

He blinked and tears slipped down his face. "You know I do. I'm just sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm so sorry."

She shifted, groaning at the new wave of pain. "Stop saying that," she moaned. "I'm dying Xander, and I don't want you apologizing to be the last thing I hear."

He smiled despite himself. "What do you want to hear then?" he asked, brushing hair back from her face.

Renee coughed, blood blooming on her lips, before she could answer. "Whatever you want me to hear the most." She laughed, trying not to cough again. "I'd ask for you to list off everything you like about me, but I don't think we have that much time."

Xander choked back a sob, jumping when her hand found his. "I like how you started watching sci-fi movies so we'd have something to talk about on watch. I like that you don't let me get away with stuff, don't let me get a big head. I like that you always fight, even when we can't even list where our enemies are coming from."

"Fat lot of help I am too," she said, coughing. This time the coughing didn't subside and Xander leaned closer, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"You helped," he groaned, rocking them back and forth. "I'm so…" he started to apologize, only stopping himself with supreme effort. "Renee, I like you, so much, for so many reasons."

There was no time before her coughing got worse, taking her speech. He could see the light in her eyes fading faster now, whatever Tara had done to give her a few moments of relief over with now. Renee's hand took his, squeezing tightly for a long moment before it dropped, suddenly nerveless.

His head dropped as he felt her life end and he was only vaguely aware of Tara's hand brushing soothingly through his hair. He held Renee's body to him for a moment, pushing himself to his feet as they both suddenly became conscious of the battle going on over their heads.

Xander glanced down at Renee before he bolted, taking the stairs two at a time in his haste. Tara was several paces behind him, not sure how reckless his grief would make him.

Xander and Tara arrived on the roof, the blonde using the containment spell Dracula had given them to take as many out of the battle as she could, keeping Xander as safe as she could.

Buffy was unable to kill the leader with the scythe, though not for lack of trying. The vampire would simply vanish from in front of her, almost teasingly avoiding her strikes. Dracula waved to Willow, handing her his sword and giving her rapid instructions. She took off, the sword in her hands. She recited a spell, the large red lens on the roof glowing brightly as Willow finished casting her spell. There was a flash and Buffy cheered as she finally dusted a vampire. Willow dropped the sword back down to Dracula, but it was intercepted by the gang leader and Dracula snarled angrily, jumping back into battle with him. Buffy barely kept the scythe out of Dracula's back as he jumped in front of her, chasing the Japanese vampire.

The ancient vampire recovered his sword skillfully, cutting off his foe's hands and feet. Without a word, Xander stepped forward and took the sword from Dracula, cutting off their enemy's head. He stared at the swirling dust for a moment, dropping the sword as he collapsed to his knees, overcome. Buffy waved her squad into pursuit of the fleeing vampires and rushed over to hug Xander, both witches right behind her. Dracula stood quietly to the side, watching his friend's grief with a strained look on his face.

Dracula left the next night to return home. Xander scattered Renee's ashes alone, returning to his friends at dawn. The women were waiting up for him, Buffy handing him a bottle of sake without comment.

"This doesn't count as the time we get Tara drunk," he stated as he opened it, pouring shots for each of them.

The blonde witch nodded sadly. "Alright."

They had only had two rounds when there was a knock on their door. Buffy stood up to answer it, picking the scythe up as she went to the door. Satsu was on the other side, wiping her hands anxiously on her pants. "I know you guys are busy. I just had something I wanted to ask you about before you got too far into that bottle."

Buffy nodded, stepping into the hall with her. "Good job today, Satsu." There had been a stiff formality to their encounters since Buffy had let the other girl down, and this was no exception.

The younger girl nodded, her arms crossed behind her back, posture stiff. "Thank you ma'am. That actually has some bearing on what I wanted to ask you." She took a deep breath. "I'd like to be left here. You need a new squad leader here, and I'm more than qualified. I've never been a squad leader, but I'm number two behind Kennedy and I think I can do this job." Her formality cracked a little. "And I need some space from you. I know you don't feel anything for me, and that's fine, but I need some time away from you to get over it."

Buffy nodded, studying the girl standing stiffly in front of her. "I agree, you'd be a great squad leader. You'll be impossible to replace in my team. I understand why you need to get away, though." She sighed. "I'm sorry it turned out like this." She stuck out a hand, shaking the younger girl's hand. "Request granted, Satsu. Kennedy's going to be pissed at me for this, sending her best friend away. Maybe you should talk to her." She glanced at her watch. "Once it's a reasonable hour."

Satsu nodded, cracking a tiny smile. "I'm pretty sure she's waiting up for me now, but I will talk to her. Thank you, Buffy."

"You've earned it. Take care of these girls," the Slayer replied, turning back to her room. Satsu watched her go for a long moment, her eyes sliding closed as she turned her back on the Slayer.

Xander was knocking back another shot as she came back in, the two witches watching him with their drinks untouched in front of them. Buffy joined them at the low table and they drank their shots together, Xander pouring himself another to join them. Eventually they stopped taking shots, leaving the bottle to Xander. No one said anything when he started to cry, knowing their words wouldn't help. He finally collapsed on the floor and Tara laid a blanket over him. He hadn't made it to his bed, so Buffy went to sleep in her own bed and the witches went back to their room.

Tara pulled Willow close to her as they climbed into bed. She took a deep breath, comforting herself with the knowledge that her wife was secure in her arms. "Are you okay? How's your arm?"

Willow sighed. "I'm fine, Tara. She didn't hurt me."

"You got knocked out in mid air and almost smashed through the concrete," Tara objected. "That would have made it the second time in two days that you've crashed through solid stone."

"You caught me. You wouldn't have let me crash," Willow replied confidently.

Tara smiled unwillingly. "No, I wouldn't. What made you pass out though?"

Willow frowned, trying to think. "I had a vision. Something about New York. Someone in New York is in danger. I think we can help."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "Someone in New York? That doesn't really narrow it down. Since when do you have visions anyway?"

Willow shrugged. "I have no idea. That demon was in it, Saga Vasuki. She didn't say anything, she was just in the background. If we get to New York by next Thursday, we might can save her, the girl in the vision."

"Her? Do you know who?"

"No. I just know it's a girl and I know where and when we have to be there to help her." She sighed. "I guess I'll bring it up with Buffy tomorrow on the way home. Maybe just I can go or something."

Tara's eyes widened and she shook her head firmly. "That's not happening. I'm not letting you out of my sight after the day we've just had."

Willow smiled, leaning her head forward to give Tara a kiss. "Aww, baby, I didn't mean to scare you today." She yawned and Tara laid on her back, pulling the redhead closer. Willow put her head gently on her lover's shoulder and they fell asleep quickly.


	22. Chapter 21

Willow told Buffy about her vision the next morning on their flight back to Scotland, but the Slayer was doubtful.

"I'm not sure we should be trusting visions from that demon woman," Buffy said, keeping her voice low. Xander was asleep in the seat next to her, nursing another hang over.

"She didn't lie to me before," Willow pointed out.

"She just hurt you," Tara reminded her.

Willow nodded. "I know that, but I don't think that was her intention. I just think I wasn't strong enough to take it last time."

"But this time, you fainted," Buffy said, frowning.

Willow sighed. "We've got some time to decide. I just don't want anyone else to die if I can do something about it." She glanced at Xander, making sure he was still asleep.

Buffy took a deep breath. "Okay." Tara looked at her in surprise, shaking her head, and the Slayer continued quickly. "We'll think about it. How long do we have?"

"Five days."

They talked it over with Giles and Xander when they got home, Willow finally convincing the others reluctantly that the lead was worth checking out. Buffy sent Kennedy ahead of them to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. The witches and Slayer arrived in New York the day before the event was supposed to happen. Buffy was excited by the limo, momentarily forgetting their mission in her joy over the sun roof and the new city.

The girls had gotten rooms a block away from the location Willow had seen in her vision. Buffy left the hotel early the next morning without telling anyone where she was going., leaving a note saying she would meet them at the rendezvous.

Willow, Tara, and Kennedy got to the site thirty minutes before the event was supposed to happen, the redhead leading the way to a balcony on the thirtieth floor. There was nothing there, but Willow insisted that they were in the right place. She was checking her watch anxiously when a portal opened up, a demon bursting into their midst. Kennedy immediately attacked with her sword, the demon recoiling from her.

Willow let out a strangled noise of pain suddenly from behind her and the slayer spun around to look at the witches. Except there was only one. Tara was gone.

"Oh God," Kennedy breathed, slashing at the demon while one hand reached for her phone. As soon as it connected, she yelled into the phone. "Buffy! Where the hell are you? There's a demon and Tara is gone. You've got to get up here! Now!"

"I'm on my way up! What do you mean Tara's gone? What happened to Willow?" Buffy asked, worried. She was waiting for the elevator to join her friends but abandoned the wait to bolt up the stairs. "Keep her safe Kennedy. I'll be there in a minute."

Kennedy snapped her phone closed and focused on fighting, careful to stay between the demon and the distraught Willow. A few minutes later the door banged open and Buffy rushed in, the scythe already in her hands. She jumped into the fight with Kennedy, distracted by the sight of Willow collapsing to her knees, stunned and silent, her face blank. The demon knocked her in the ribs viciously before she managed to force the creature away from them. She backed away from it, Kennedy staying even with her, her sword held low.

"Kennedy, keep it off us, but don't kill it. We'll need to send it back when we get Tara back," Buffy instructed quickly, handing the scythe off to the other girl as she dropped to her knees beside the silent witch. She pulled Willow's hands down from her face. "Will, you have to find her. Where is she?"

Willow looked up at her and Buffy could see the darkness threatening to overtake her friend. "Will, listen to me. You can't do this. You have to stay with me. You're the only one that can get her back. Willow, please. Don't do this. For Tara. Please. Think about Tara. She needs you, Will." She pulled her friend's face into her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"She's gone. I can't feel her. She's gone and it's my fault. I brought us here," Willow said. Her voice was eerily calm and detached and Buffy felt a shudder run down her spine.

"You can get her back. You have to tell us what to do though. We _will _get her back," Buffy promised, hoping she would be able to make good on it, fearful of the effects if they failed.

Willow murmured a spell and the demon was immediately trapped in a crackling cube of purple energy. Buffy pulled back from their hug to check on Kennedy. "Good. Thanks, Willow. What do we need to do? Tell us and we'll do it. We'll get her back."

The witch stood up stiffly, blinking. She hadn't gone dark, but Buffy could tell that her friend was nearing the edge of her control. She reached out with her magic, the air where the portal had opened up popping with energy as Willow put her hand in the space. She was silent for a long time, Kennedy keeping a wary eye on the demon, sword in one hand, scythe in the other.

Buffy stepped back next to Kennedy, lowering her voice. "If she goes dark and we can't calm her down, we're going to have to kill her."

The dark hair girl stared at her for a long moment, knowing that the Slayer was serious. She shook her head. "No. I won't kill, Willow. And she's your best friend, Buffy. How can you just _decide_ to kill her?"

Buffy sighed, grabbing her side as pain spread across her wounded ribs. "If she goes dark she'll kill you, and me, and the rest of the city. Minimum." She groaned. "Where's Xander when we need him?" she murmured, staring anxiously at the witch. "Come on, Willow. You can do this."

Finally Willow moved, turning to face them. "It's a time ripple. She's in the future. Two hundred years in the future."

"Can you reach her?" Buffy asked.

Willow shook her head, her expression eerily calm. "No. The gateway is closed."

"Well how do we open it again?" Kennedy asked, glancing again at the captive demon. "We put this guy through and we'll get Tara back right?"

Willow nodded. "I need some things. We have to hurry. The gateway opens again in an hour. That's our only chance."

Buffy was holding her ribs and exchanged glances with Kennedy. "I'm wounded, but you can run faster. Will, is the demon going to get loose?" The witch shook her head and Buffy took a deep breath, wincing. "Fine, Kennedy, you go get the stuff, I'll stay here with Willow."

The other slayer listened carefully as Willow told her what she needed, bolting off of the balcony and into the elevator. Buffy paced anxiously, Willow staring at her unnervingly. "You're doing really great, Will. She's going to be so proud of you once she gets back. You're doing so good." The witch didn't respond and Buffy sighed, one hand still on her ribs.

"I can fix that," Willow said, her voice still oddly detached.

Buffy shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You save your energy for getting Tara back. I'll be fine. Slayers heal fast, remember?" She tried to smile at her, but it faded rapidly.

Kennedy raced back in fifteen minutes later, her arms full of bags. She dropped the bags in front of the witch, Willow using her powers to set up the spell. Kennedy stepped back in surprise as the pouches and bottles floated out their bags and moved around the witch.

Gradually the motion stopped and Buffy stepped forward cautiously. "You ready?"

Willow nodded. "Just waiting now."

Buffy stepped even with Willow, looking at her carefully. "You're doing great, Willow. You're doing so good."

Willow just blinked at her. "We'll see in eleven minutes."

Buffy touched her friend's hand gently. "Will, you'll get her back. She's going to be fine. Just hang on." The witch looked at her slowly and her stoic mask crumbled slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Buffy," Willow breathed her best friend's name and the Slayer pulled her into a tight hug, hissing as it put pressure on her wounded ribs. "I can't do it again, Buffy. I can't lose her again. Not like this. It'll kill me. I can't live without her again. It was hard, too hard, last time…I can't do it again." Her voice was rising in pitch, more shrill and panicky, her hands tightening in the fabric of Buffy's shirt.

"I know, Will. You won't. She'll be back with you soon," Buffy said quietly, trying to keep her calm, hands smoothing gently over her friend's hair.

Willow took in a shuddering breath. "If I lose it…Buffy, you have to…"

Buffy shook her head. "Willow, no. You're not going to lose it." Her friend pulled back to look at her seriously and the Slayer sighed, nodding. "I know. I won't let her get away."

Willow looked confused. "Her?"

Buffy looked her straight in the eye. "Dark Willow is not you. She's not my best friend. She's not Tara's wife. She's not Xander's best friend. She's not who Dawn looks up to. She's not you, Willow." She hugged her friend again. "You can keep her under control. I know you can."

Kennedy cleared her throat as the air in front of the pair started crackling audibly, sparks appearing sporadically. Buffy jumped back quickly, her hand coming back up to her ribs and her free hand stretched back to take the scythe back from Kennedy, wanting to be ready for anything that came through.

Willow's hands rose to shoulder height, her fingers spread wide. The slayers looked around as they heard a rumble of thunder in the distance, clouds rolling in front of the moon. Electricity sparked between Willow's fingers and the portal snapped into existence in front of her. She dove in immediately, falling back out of it a moment later, her arms wrapped tightly around Tara. A gesture sent the demon's cube hurtling into the space and it closed a second later, the two witches breathing hard on the floor.

Tara looked up at the slayers, stunned, before her gaze dropped to the redhead clinging to her. Willow's control finally snapped, tears streaming down her face as she pressed frantic kisses all over Tara's face. "It's okay, baby. I'm right here. I'm right here," Tara murmured, hugging her tightly. "I'm with you, Willow. I'm right here." Buffy squeezed her shoulder with her good hand and Tara looked up at her. The Slayer had tears of relief in her eyes and she smiled at her friend.

"Glad you're back," Buffy said quietly. "You're okay?"

Tara nodded. "A little banged up, but no permanent damage done."

Willow had her face buried in Tara's neck, still crying uncontrollably and as her arms wrapped around her lover's neck, the blonde hissed in pain. Willow pulled back immediately, shock on her face. Tara instantly grabbed her lover's hands. "It's okay. I promise. You didn't hurt me."

Willow ignored her, moving her head to look at the other side of Tara's neck. "You got bitten?" she exclaimed loudly, fear evident in her voice.

Buffy looked surprised. "Tara?"

The blonde witch sighed. "I showed up in the middle of a bunch of vampires and a few demons. They were all over the place there. I got a defensive shield up, but one of them got through." She looked up at the slayers. "They barely had their teeth in before someone staked them. A girl. I think she was a slayer."

Buffy frowned. "A slayer? And she saved you? Did you get any more information?"

Tara shook her head. "She said her name was Fray. She had your scythe. She offered to take me back to her place to get cleaned up, but I was scared to leave the roof. I didn't want to miss you." Willow whimpered, burying her face back in her wife's neck. Tara squeezed her tightly, looking up at the slayers. "Thank you guys." She looked back down at Willow. "Can we get her inside? Back to the hotel?"

Kennedy dropped to a knee next to the witches. "I can carry her. Buffy's hurt." She paused. "If you don't mind?"

Tara shook her head. "Thank you." She had to work to gently pry the redhead's fingers away from her, her heart breaking at the whimpering cries Willow let out. "Baby, Kennedy is just going to take you to the hotel. I can't carry you that whole way. I'll be right beside you the whole time, I swear. I'm not going anywhere. _I'm right here, honey. I promise you I won't let go of your hand. I'm with you."_

Kennedy carefully lifted the crying witch at Tara's nod. The blonde kept her hand tightly in Willow's, trying to keep her calm. Buffy collected the scythe and Kennedy's sword and they hurried back to their hotel, attracting many strange looks on the street.

They made it up to their room and Kennedy gently put Willow on the couch, the redhead pulling Tara onto the couch with her, curling up in her wife's lap.

Tara ran her hand soothingly through Willow's red hair. "Shh, baby. Please. Calm down. I'm right here."

"It was my fault. I made us go up there and I turned around and you were just gone. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. You were gone," the redhead babbled, her face leaning close to Tara's neck.

Buffy sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of them, wincing as the change in position hurt her ribs. "But you didn't go dark, Will. You kept it under control. You did so good. You should be proud of her, Tara."

The blonde nodded. "I am. Thank you for getting me back, Willow. You did so good. I love you." She pressed her forehead against Willow's head. "I love you so much, sweetie."

Willow hiccupped, trying to control her tears. "I love you too, Tara. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Tara gently hushed her, putting her fingers over the redhead's mouth. "Shh. I'm okay. I'm back with you. Everything is fine. We're fine, Will."

Willow nodded, trying to calm down. Tara's free hand stroked her hair gently, holding her close. Buffy and Kennedy were both watching them carefully. "Buffy, what happened to you?"

"Oh, you got swapped with a demon and it got me across the ribs before Willow got it under control. We sent it back when Will pulled you back through."

Tara grimaced. "Sorry, Buffy." She reached out a hand. "I can help you with that."

Buffy smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks. Maybe later. I think Willow needs your attention right now."

The blonde pressed a kiss to her lover's hair, using one hand to lift her face, leaning in to kiss her on the mouth. She kept the kiss brief, wiping the sticky tear tracks on her wife's face. "Willow, I love you so much. I'm so proud of you. You kept it under control. You did so well, baby. Thank you." Willow nodded, tearing up again. "Shh, shh. It's okay. It's all okay." She wiped the tears away again. "Calm down. I'm not going anywhere." She looked up at the slayers. "I think I should take her to bed, try and get her to sleep."

Buffy nodded. "Fine, but I'm calling the airlines and getting us home as soon as possible. If we were sent here as a distraction, something may have happened at the castle."

Tara nodded. "Oh God, Xander." She looked across the room at Buffy. "Dawn wasn't coming home this weekend, was she?"

The Slayer just nodded, her jaw clenched. Willow moved in Tara's arms, lifting her head up. "I can get us home." She looked at Buffy with a tiny smile. "It'll have to be off the property since we finally fixed the spells, but we'd be able to walk the rest of the way."

Tara looked down at her, surprised. "Are you sure you're up for that, Willow? _Your control? I can tell you were right on the edge of it earlier."_

"I can do it." She looked at Kennedy. "Go check us out of here and I'll set it up. We should probably do the spell on the balcony so we don't scorch the carpet." The dark-haired slayer nodded and left the room, almost running. Willow took a deep breath and slowly unfolded herself from her wife's lap, keeping a tight grip on her hand.

Tara followed her onto the balcony, pulled along by Willow's hand. The redhead started setting up the spell one handed, never relinquishing her grip on her wife. Tara helped with her free hand, Buffy watching from the side. Kennedy knocked and Buffy went to let her in as the witches finished their preparations.

Tara lifted their joined hands, pressing a kiss to the back of Willow's hand. "You're going to need both hands, sweetie. You're going to have to let me go."

Anxiety immediately filled her lover's green eyes and the redhead pulled her closer, squeezing her hand tight. Tara stepped close behind her, wrapping her free arm tightly around Willow's waist. "How's this? I'll be right here. I won't let go. I won't go anywhere without you." The redhead reluctantly released Tara's hand and she immediately wound it around Willow's waist.

The slayers picked up their bags and followed Tara's instructions while Willow manipulated the energy to open a portal home. It sparked to life in front of her and the slayers jumped through, the witches following them a second later. They looked around to find themselves in the predawn darkness of the woods surrounding their castle.

Buffy looked up at the sky and could see an ominous green glow in the fog. She pointed. "I think it's that way."

They hadn't gone too far before they could hear voices through the trees. They slowed down cautiously, listening carefully. Willow recognized Xander and Dawn's voices and Buffy whistled loudly. The conversation stopped immediately and Tara sent a tinkerbell light towards their friends, not sure if it was safe to approach.

They heard Xander order his girls to stand down and they came closer. They walked into the small clearing and Dawn threw herself at her sister. "It was a trap, we just didn't know who it was for," Buffy said, groaning as Dawn collided with her injured ribs.

"Are you guys okay?" Xander asked anxiously, running a flashlight beam over each of them.

Buffy nodded. "We had some excitement, but it's nothing that won't heal. I've got some busted ribs and Tara's been bit by a vamp."

"And my nose might be broken. I'm not sure," Tara added, probing gingerly at the bridge of her nose with a finger. She glanced at Buffy. "Slayers hit _really_ hard."

Willow's voice was shrill and shocked. "She hit you?"

Tara nodded. "I wasn't supposed to be there. She was trying to punch the demon." She pressed a kiss to Willow's forehead. "It's fine, sweetie. I promise."

Xander was staring at their group with confusion on his face. "Okay, it sound like we have some stories to exchange. From that brief little exchange it sounds like either Buffy or Kennedy punched Tara in the face and yet neither of you appear to be seriously maimed or dead."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course we didn't hit Tara. What happened here?" Buffy asked, glancing again at the green glow above them.

Xander sighed. "We got hit with a magic missile." Andrew giggled somewhere in the darkness behind them and Xander couldn't help letting a small smile slip onto his face for a few seconds. "Probably Warren and Amy, right? They specialize in the magic and tech combos."

Buffy nodded. "Willow, can you feel anything? Are they here?"

The redhead shook her head. "No, they're not here. The magic is fading. Is it safe to go back?"

Xander shrugged. "There were soldiers with snake heads. They hit us just after midnight. We all scattered. We've managed to regroup some now. We should be able to get back in. And our super secret weapons are back now, so it should be a piece of cake." He smiled at the group.

"Have we lost anyone?" Buffy asked. "Where's Giles?" She looked around rapidly for her Watcher.

Xander was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry, he's safe. Faith called yesterday. He went to help her with something. Some town in Germany is completely surrounded by vampires. Giles has been hearing weird rumors about it so they're going to check it out. He said he'd be gone for a few days at least, possibly a few weeks."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. Is anyone else…?"

Xander shrugged, looking over his shoulder in the direction of the castle. "I don't know. Me and Dawn were in the yard when the missile hit. I know part of the roof collapsed, but the castle was on fire so I couldn't get back in."

"Why's it glowing green?" Willow asked, her voice still oddly detached.

"Oh, the fire is green. And did I mention the snake headed guys? What's up with that?"

Buffy took a deep breath, cursing quietly at the pain. "Okay, let's go back." She looked around at the girls. "And stay alert."

There was no sign of their attackers, but they approached the castle cautiously, Willow and Tara using their power to put out the fires. They got inside and the witches started rebuilding the collapsed roof. Buffy and the others carefully pulled the injured girls into the front hall, turning the bedrooms on the main floor into an infirmary.

Willow was trembling with exhaustion by the time they finished repairing the damage to the building, but was unwilling to be separated from Tara. The blonde witch finally had to set herself up in one of the bedrooms to keep Willow from collapsing, casting healing spells carefully on the girls the slayers carried in to see her. Eventually she finished for the night and the Scoobies went up to their own rooms. They collapsed wearily on their couches, groaning with exhaustion and their injuries.

Tara cast one final spell on Buffy, forcing the Slayer to stand up while she healed her friend's ribs. There were several loud pops and Buffy's lungs emptied in a rush. She patted herself down excitedly, hugging Tara. "Thanks. That feels much better."

Tara looked amused. "Yes, well broken ribs tend to be painful, Buffy."

"How's your nose? And your neck?" Buffy asked, leaning her head to look at the bite. "Your neck is bleeding. Xander do we have any more bandages?" He tossed a box of gauze pads to her and she quickly taped one over the wound. "That should keep you from bleeding on your pillow cases." She shot a teasing look at Willow, the redhead sitting quietly on the couch behind Tara, her hands wrapped around her wife's belt. "Now it's just up to you to keep from knocking it off." Willow didn't respond to the teasing, just nodding listlessly and Buffy exchanged worried looks with Tara.

The blonde witch pulled Willow gently to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Baby, how about we go to bed?" Willow just shrugged and Tara pulled them to their room. The sun was rising outside and Tara pulled the curtains closed, making the room darker. Willow was just standing where the blonde had left her, staring at her. Tara pulled her to the bed by one hand, sitting on the edge of the bed with her. Her free hand touched Willow's face and the redhead looked at her slowly, just blinking.

"Will, you have to talk to me. What's wrong?" Her wife didn't respond and she leaned forward to kiss her gently, surprised when Willow pulled back from her. "Willow? What is it?"

"Your nose is hurt," Willow said emotionlessly.

Tara shook her head. "I don't think it's broken. It's feeling better." Willow didn't respond and Tara sighed. "Baby look at me. None of this is your fault. I'm fine and I'm here with you and I just want you to kiss me. Please?" She stared at her wife for a long moment, watching the detached mask crumble, the redhead collapsing into her arms, crying. Tara just held her, rocking them gently back and forth. Gradually the sobs eased up and Willow's head came up. She was sniffling and Tara gently wiped her tears away.

"You okay?" Willow nodded and Tara smiled gently at her. "Now talk to me. You don't have to brave here, remember?"

Willow nodded again. "You were gone." Her voice was rough and she cleared her throat. "I lost you again. I let you get hurt again." Tara stayed silent, just watching her carefully. "It was a trap and I walked us right into it. Xander could have been killed. Dawnie. And it would have been my fault. I could have killed us all and when it was time to act, I couldn't. I was just frozen. I screamed and Buffy took care of it."

"Willow, it was a trap. You couldn't have known. And if it hadn't been a trap, something worse could have happened if we hadn't been there."

"But it _was_ a trap. And it took you!"

Tara nodded. "But you got me back. And I'm fine. Nothing happened to me."

Willow shot a look at her. "You got bitten by a vampire, Tara!"

The blonde shrugged, smiling reassuringly. "That could happen anywhere."

Willow frowned. "You're not making a strong case for me letting you out of my sight ever again."

Tara laughed gently. "Sweetheart, you don't have to protect me from everything. We take care of each other." She glanced at their dirt, blood, and soot covered clothes. "How about we go take a shower and then we can go to bed? I know you're exhausted. Your hands are still shaking."

Willow nodded, leaning against her as they stood up. "You did say _**a**_ shower, right? Because I was serious about not letting you out of my sight."

Tara smiled, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Yes, Will. I'm not letting you go either."

They climbed into bed, both exhausted, an hour later. Willow held Tara close to her, their legs entwined under the sheets. "You can't leave," Willow murmured on the edge of sleep.

"What? Willow, I'm not going anywhere," Tara assured her, keeping her voice low.

The redhead shook her head, her eyes closed. "You have to be here when I wake up. Don't leave."

"Okay, I won't."

"You were gone last time. I got you back, but you weren't there when I woke up," she said, her voice slow and tired.

Tara frowned, thinking. "When I came back to life?"

Willow nodded, eyes still closed. "I thought it was a dream, thought I was never going to see you again. Buffy…Buffy had to tell me. I thought you were still gone." She shifted a little, moving closer to her lover. "I could smell you in our bed and I thought it was a trick. Thought I was going crazy."

"You never told me that. I didn't know." She pressed a kiss to the redhead's cheek. "I'm so sorry. I'll be here. I swear." She heard her wife's breathing steady and slow and she let the gentle rhythm lead her to sleep.

* * *

Willow rolled over the next morning to find Tara watching her quietly. "Are you okay?" Tara asked, running a hand over her wife's face.

The redhead nodded. "I think so."

"So you're not harboring some kind of irrational guilt or anything?" Tara smiled at her.

Willow made a face. "It's not irrational."

Tara shook her head. "No one blames you. Even if we'd been here, there's nothing we could have done to stop a missile." Willow opened her mouth to object but Tara wouldn't let her. "No, sweetie. Amy knows you. She surely would have done something to keep you from stopping it. And our trip to New York wasn't completely pointless, we know now that we can't trust Saga Vasuki. We did what we thought was right, you can't beat yourself up over it. All we can do now is try and fix the damage and make sure it can't happen again."

Willow sighed, looking at her for a long moment. "Why do you make so much sense?"

Tara grinned at her. "I'm very smart. And I married an even smarter woman, so it must be rubbing off on me."

Willow grinned back and reached up for a kiss which Tara supplied happily. The redhead's hand brushed her wife's bandaged neck and she jumped back as if she'd been shocked. Tara looked confused. "You didn't even touch it. I promise." She pulled on Willow's hand. "Come back here." She coaxed her closer gently. "Now kiss me." She put her lover's hand on her neck, pressing it down gently to demonstrate that the redhead wasn't going to hurt her.

Willow surrendered in a rush, kissing Tara passionately. They pulled back as they ran out of breath, Tara laying her head on Willow's shoulder. "We should check on the wounded," Willow suggested. She squeezed Tara's hand. "And speaking of that." She paused, channeling her magic to heal her wife's neck and nose. "Tada," she announced, running a hand down to remove the bandage.

Tara reached up to touch her unblemished skin, poking herself on the nose. "Will, you didn't have to do that."

The redhead scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right. I'm not going to let you walk around with a sore nose and bleeding neck wound."

Tara kissed her on the neck. "Thank you, sweetie."

Willow hugged her. "I love you, Tara."

"I love you too. I'm glad you're feeling better. You were scaring us last night."

The redhead sighed. "Sorry about that. I just couldn't think about it. It was overwhelming. I came so close to losing it."

Tara sat up on an arm to look down at her. "But you didn't. You kept it under control."

"I don't know if I could have, if I hadn't gotten you back. I told Buffy to kill me if it happened."

Tara blinked at her, surprised. "Willow, I never doubted for a second that you would get me back. I knew you would."

Willow's hand reached up to touch her face. "I tried last time too. When you died. I tried, but I couldn't do it."

"I know, baby. It's okay. I came back a different way, that's all."

Willow smiled. "It took a little longer, but it was worth the wait."

"Oh, absolutely," Tara agreed. "We should go help. Some of those wounded girls are going to need some serious recovery time. We'll have to pick up the slack." Willow sighed, but nodded and they got up and changed clothes.

They went into their living room, holding hands and Willow smiled as her friends greeted them. "How're the slayers doing?" she asked, joining them at the table.

Xander smiled, happy to see her back to normal. "There's a few that are still out of it, but for the most part, they're up and running. Well," he corrected himself. "Up and limping."

Buffy grinned at the witches, patting Tara on the shoulder. "You fixed her! Good job, Tara."

The blonde blushed, glancing at her wife. "That's what I do." Willow smiled back at her, squeezing her hand under the table.

"So, what happened yesterday? We didn't get to hear about it," Xander asked, looking at the women.

They gave him and Dawn a quick summary of the events leading up to Tara's disappearance and handed the storytelling off to the witch. Tara surveyed her friends slowly before she took a deep breath and started talking.

"Well, as you know, the demon got snatched and replaced me. I was on top of a roof. There were vampires and demons all over the place. The demon that I replaced was in a fight with a girl with dark hair, purple streaks. She punched me before she realized I was human. I put a shield up, but I still got bit. The girl staked it and we fought the rest of them off. She wanted me to go to her house with her, but I didn't want to leave. I knew Willow would figure out a way to get me back." She squeezed the redhead's hand tightly.

"The girl stayed with me the whole time. She said I was in Haddyn, which I guess is the future name of Manhattan. She had funny names for everything. Vampires were called lurks. We could barely understand each other. She told me a lot of things, though." She looked seriously at Buffy. "She knew about the slayers. She was one. But she had a twin, he got turned into a vampire. He got the visions and the memories, she got the strength and abilities." She took a deep breath. "She's the only slayer there. She told me she's the only one there's been in decades."

Buffy let out a deep breath, clenching her jaw. "Uh oh." She looked around the table at her friends. "I guess that means I'm going to fail."

"Buffy, no! It's not you…well it's not _all _you. We're in this together," Xander said.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm the Slayer, Xander. They're my responsibility, not any of yours. Any clues on what happens?"

Tara shook her head. "Sorry. She didn't even know anything about slayers until she found the old Watcher's diaries. She just thought she was good at stuff, she didn't know she was supposed to have the visions and memories too."

"Great. Did she say anything else? Anything that will help us?"

"I don't think so. There was some kind of evil she was afraid of, but she didn't say anything about it. And it's unlikely that it has anything to do with us, two hundred years in the past."

"Do we know why that time disturbance opened up anyway? Or why Willow was supposed to be there?" Xander asked, frowning.

Willow looked up in surprise. "That's right, it was supposed to be me. I was supposed to get taken, not you."

Tara shook her head again. "Or it could have been for Buffy, baby. We don't know. All we know for sure is that Saga Vasuki wanted one or all of us there at that time. We don't know why. There's nothing else we can do but keep going. And I don't think we should trust her anymore. You know, if she breaks into my wife's mind again."

Willow smiled, squeezing her hand and leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "Agreed," she commented.

"It seems likely that that Japanese vamp-witch was working with the demon lady, but the timing of the attack on the castle is too perfect," Buffy commented, looking around the table. "Is there any chance Amy's working for her too?"

Willow blinked, surprised. A frown came over her face. "Actually, that makes sense, Buffy. She tried to recruit me to train with her, maybe she did the same thing to Amy. Maybe she took the training…"

Tara was thinking hard. "I never knew Amy that well, but I didn't think she had anywhere near the amount of power you do," she commented, glancing at the others for confirmation before her eyes settled back on Willow.

The witch shook her head. "She didn't, at least she didn't when I saw her last in Sunnydale. When she was here though, in the castle…she was strong enough to break through my spells…something must have been different."

"And even before that, she managed to bring Warren back to life," Dawn commented, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Buffy looked at the witches. "Is it possible she's been training with the demon this whole time?"

Tara and Willow glanced at each other, shrugging. "It seems like a likely possibility," Tara said.

"But why would the demon recruit Amy before she tried to collect Willow?" Xander asked, frowning. "Willow's way more powerful."

Willow was thinking, trying to come up with an explanation. She finally shrugged, unable to think of anything. "Does that mean that we think the demon is working with Twilight? Because we know Amy's on his team."

The others looked around the table at each other, Buffy nodding. "It seems likely," she agreed, sighing heavily. "I guess we'll add her to the list of things that want us dead." She glanced at the clock. "I guess we should get back to work. Someone needs to check on the girls, and we need to double check the security spells, and Xander, could you figure out which squads were hit the worst?"

The others nodded their agreement, scattering to do their work for the day. Willow made sure to stay close to Tara throughout the day, still anxious about her safety even after she herself had checked their security spells. Every time she shut her eyes, she could see herself turning to look at Tara and finding herself suddenly alone, her wife snatched away from her again. The only way to get the scene out of her head was to actually see Tara, so she found excuses throughout the day to wander past where her wife was working on the wounded slayers.

When they made it to bed, Willow kept Tara tight against her. The blonde seemed to sense that Willow needed their closeness more than usual, and snuggled willingly into her wife's arms, knowing that nothing could hurt her as long as Willow was there.


	23. Chapter 22

Over the next few weeks they gradually got the castle back to the normal working order. Buffy was worried about her supposedly imminent failure with the slayers, but was doing her best to keep her fears from her friends.

Giles was still abroad with Faith, but stayed in touch. There were rumors of a new group of rogues that were using their abilities to make themselves major criminals, robbing banks and harassing the police throughout Europe. Buffy was getting less sleep than ever and hated that she was getting used to it. Xander was shocked to find the Slayer passed out in his bed, filthy and sweaty once after a mission. He woke her up quickly and they all feared for her sanity as she hugged them all, talking loudly about how happy she was that Xander only had one eye and Willow's gayness. She explained that she'd had a dream in which they were back in high school but she retained her memories of their future.

She thought she was losing it herself one day when Xander burst into the living room, laughing loudly. He hurriedly tuned one of the monitors from his command center to MTV. He sat down on the couch quickly, pointing at the screen and laughing. Buffy glanced at the commercial on the television and put her hand on Xander's forehead to check and make sure he didn't have a fever.

Her jaw dropped in shock as the commercial ended and their school-companion-turned-vampire, Harmony, appeared on the screen. She called out hoarsely for Willow and the witches came quickly out of their bedroom. Willow's jaw dropped and she sat down on the couch with her best friends as she saw who was on the screen.

Tara looked at them and back at the television. "Do you guys know her or something? You all looked freaked."

"How come no one's staked her yet?" Willow asked, scowling at the show.

Tara did a surprised double take. "She's a vampire? She doesn't have soul or anything, does she?" Buffy shook her head, shooting a surprised look at the witch. Tara backpedaled, grinning, "Just checking. It seems like most of the vampires you guys know and don't dust have souls."

Xander was still giggling at the screen and Buffy's cell phone rang so she stood up and walked away from the couch to answer it, leaving Willow to answer her wife's questions.

"She went to high school with us. She got turned at graduation, while we were fighting the mayor. She's been bouncing in and out of town for the last couple years. She used to date Spike, and then she had her own 'gang.'" Willow put up the air quotes with her fingers. "Dawnie let her in the house once on accident, remember?"

"Oh, _that's_ Harmony? It sound's like she's a pain," Tara commented, watching the show.

"Oh, she is. I didn't like her when she was human though, so I'm not the best one to ask."

"Why didn't you like her?"

Willow blushed, hesitating. "She picked on me. When we were in grade school. She and Cordelia, they made fun of me," she answered, not look at her wife, keeping her eyes locked on the television.

Tara looked at her lover in surprise. The redhead was still shy occasionally, but the last few years had brought out such confidence and leadership in the redhead that it was sometimes difficult for Tara to reconcile the shy geek her wife claimed to have been with the strong, powerful woman she was now. She stepped over to the couch, sitting down next to Willow and putting one hand on her wife's leg, her other hand sliding into the back of Willow's red hair.

"Hey." She waited until Willow looked at her to continue. "Screw her. You're a strong, beautiful, amazing woman. She's an undead idiot."

Willow smiled a little. "You don't even know her."

"I know you, Willow. That's all I need to know." Willow took Tara's hand on her leg and pulled it into her lap, turning her head back to the television. Tara watched it for a moment, glaring at the screen. "Yup, she's obviously an idiot."

"I hate to admit it, but she's caused some trouble for us in the past. She kidnapped Dawn, she almost got Cordelia and Angel killed in L.A., and she bit me one time."

"She did what?" Tara exclaimed, standing up uncontrollably. "If we meet her, she's dust. I'll set her on fire myself." Willow pulled her back down, laughing.

"I'm glad you're so eager to defend my vampire biting virtue, but it was a long time ago. It was before I met you, actually. And she was the only vampire that's actually bitten me…" She paused, thinking. "I don't think I like that statistic." She pouted. "It would have been cooler if Spike had actually bitten me…at least he's infamous."

"Wait, Spike tried to bite you? Where was I?" Tara asked, running a hand over her lover's neck as if checking for bites.

Willow shrugged. "Oh, he tried like ten times." The look of shock on her lover's face made her continue quickly. "Just on two separate occasions. Once in high school he took me and Xander hostage so I would do a love spell for him to get Drusilla back. He was drunk and I managed to talk him out of it. And then right after he got his chip from the Initiative, he came to the dorm looking for Buffy, but I was there alone and he tried but he couldn't do it." She scowled at the TV. "At least it would have been a privilege to get bitten by him. Harmony is just….ugh." She raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "My vampire self almost bit me…that wouldn't have been too bad. She was too busy licking me though."

"Sweetie, I don't think there's a scale of vampire-who-bit-me prestige." The blonde trailed off, a dazed look coming over her face. Willow snapped her fingers in front of her face and the witch blinked, smiling at Willow. _"Two Willows doesn't sound too bad to me…I can see why Anya was excited when Xander got split in two."_

The redhead blushed brightly and forced herself to look back at the TV, taking a deep breath. She was saved from having to respond when Buffy returned to the couch. "What's up, Buff?" she asked, glancing at her wife, embarrassed.

"Andrew found a girl who recently got her powers. She hasn't contacted us, but he thinks she could benefit from a meeting. He wants me to go."

"Well, that'll be good. Where is she?" Xander commented distractedly, still staring at the TV.

Buffy shrugged. "He's sending over the profile. I talked to her for a few minutes on the phone but she seems kind of hesitant."

Xander glanced around. "And where is he, anyway?"

"New York or L.A., I can't remember." Buffy blinked, breaking her stare at the television. "Wait a minute, how is this happening? How is Harmony on TV? She's a vampire!" She looked at Xander. "How did you find this?"

He shrugged, glancing at her guiltily. "I wasn't watching 'Super Sweet Sixteen' with the girls…that's for sure." His tone of voice made it clear that that was exactly what he had been doing, despite the words to the contrary.

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Xander. Why do you let them watch that crap?"

"It was their turn. I got to pick last time," he objected.

"Okay, Willow, you up for some research?"

The witch clapped her hands happily. "Sure, especially since it has no ancient texts involved. And I'll get to take down Harmony finally." She jumped to her feet, excited at the prospect of defeating her high school rival. Tara followed her, shaking her head at her wife's enthusiasm as she returned to their bedroom alone to finish putting away their laundry, the task they'd been working on when Buffy had called them out to look at the TV.

Buffy grinned at her friend. "Thanks. Just find out what they're doing putting Harmony on TV. They obviously know she's a vampire." She paused, the grin slipping from her head. "This is hurting my head. I'm going to go call Giles. He'd want to know about this, and God knows he'd never find MTV on his own."

Xander was still sitting on the couch and finally noticed that he was alone. "Nobody wants to watch this with me?" he asked, raising his voice. "There's a marathon!"

Buffy got the information about the new slayer and called Giles while Xander set up their DVR to record all of the episodes of Harmony's show. Willow ended up calling MTV studios and pretending to be a journalist writing an article about the show. They found out that the network had given the vampire her own reality show after they'd seen her in an alley biting Andy Dick.

Buffy arranged to go meet the new slayer the next day with Andrew. Xander insisted that they get together and watch the new episode of Harmony's show that was being broadcast live that night.

"You're leaving, Buff. It'll be a fun way for us to hang out tonight before you leave," he suggested, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes but agreed. They ordered a pizza and were just hanging around in the living room, enjoying spending time together. Willow and Tara had pulled the comforter off their bed and were lying on top of it on the floor. Buffy and Xander were sharing the couch, the pizza box sitting in between them. The show started and they laughed at the vampire groupies, all trying to get attention from Harmony.

Buffy noticed something on the screen, leaning forward to get a closer look. She jumped up from the couch, careful not to step on Willow as she rushed to the table to collect the sheet of paper than Andrew had sent her earlier. She got back on the couch, handing the page to Xander. "Look at that girl," she instructed, pointing. "Isn't that her?" She gestured to the paper.

He squinted at the television, nodding. "I think you're right." They exchanged looks as he handed the sheet to Tara. "Why would she be there?"

Buffy shrugged and Tara frowned. "She wouldn't try anything would she? She just got her powers…she doesn't know how dangerous vampires really are. She has to be feeling pretty invincible."

Buffy stared at the TV for a long moment. "I've got to stop her if she is. She'll get herself killed. And I can't let her expose us like that." She stood up again, looking down at Willow. "Can you mojo me over there?"

Willow stood up, nodding. "Give me a second."

Tara's loud gasp caused them both to look down at her. Xander's voice was stunned. "Too late." He pointed at the screen. Buffy sank to the couch, her jaw dropping. The new girl had tried to stab Harmony, but the vampire had countered the attack and was draining the girl in full view of the party guests and the camera crew.

"Oh God," she breathed. Willow sat back down slowly, looking steadily at the horrific scene on the television.

Buffy's phone rang and she answered it without checking the caller ID. "Yeah. I'm watching it now. Hang on, Harmony is talking." She listened to the TV for a few minutes. "She's spilling everything! She's telling the entire world about us! This is a nightmare. Okay, I'll talk to you later." She hung up, still staring in horror at the screen.

Xander let out a deep breath. "We're in big trouble here."

Buffy nodded. "Very big trouble. Giles says his mission isn't going any better. He's going to call me back tomorrow." Her hand came up to rub at her temple. "I'm getting a migraine." Tara stood up without a word and came back with a bottle of painkillers and a glass of water. She handed them both to the Slayer and sat back down close to Willow, slipping her hand into her wife's. "Thanks Tara," Buffy murmured, swallowing the pills.

The show ended, a commercial announcing that Harmony would be interviewed by Anderson Cooper the following day. Xander programmed their television to record it and they turned the set off, sitting in stunned silence.

Buffy sighed, breaking the quiet tension. "I don't know what to do here. I hate to say we'll have to wait and see what happens. I don't think we can do anything tonight. Thank God she doesn't have our address or we'd be swamped with violent vampire groupies." Her head dropped into her hands.

"We just have to keep going like we have been, Buffy. We're the good guys. That will be obvious. Reality shows breed stupidity, but surely they won't fall for her crap," Xander tried to reassure her.

She looked up at him. "We'll see, won't we?" She stood up, pacing for a moment. "This is out of control. I need to go to bed." She didn't wait for a response, just went into her room and shut the door.

The others stared at each other for a long moment. "Uh oh," Willow said, glancing at the Slayer's door. No one else said anything, but each one knew the same thought was running through all of their heads.

* * *

Kennedy was at the door of the Scoobies' suite the next morning, anxiously pacing. There was no response to her knocking and she let herself in. There were no signs of life in the living room and she continued to pace.

Finally, Buffy came out of her room, her hair still tousled from tossing and turning in her sleep. She stopped in surprise as she noted the other slayer's presence. She glanced around, seeking the cause of her friend's anxiety. "What's up, Kennedy?"

The dark-haired slayer let out a deep breath. "I want to go visit Satsu. She just got command of the Tokyo squad and now there's all this stuff going on with the vampire on TV spilling all of our guts. I just want to make sure she's doing okay."

Buffy looked surprised, staring at her for a long moment. "Um…sure. That's no problem. I wasn't sure how…I didn't know…I'm trying not to crowd her," the Slayer finished awkwardly, looking down at her feet.

Kennedy nodded, smirking. "Yeah, she told me you've been going easy on her." Buffy looked up to meet her eyes. "She's not stupid, you know. She knows what you're doing."

Buffy sighed. "Am I that obvious?"

"She's in love with you. You don't feel the same way. It's a rough situation."

Just then Willow and Tara came out of their room, holding hands. Both witches smiled and waved at the slayers as they went out the doors, heading downstairs. "We've got a new group of witches coming in. We're going to go meet them," Willow said as they disappeared down the hall.

Buffy watched Kennedy carefully, nodding. "Yeah, it's rough, isn't it?"

The dark-haired girl blinked, glancing over her shoulder in the direction the witches had gone. "It was. But it gets better. She just needs time."

Buffy smiled, nodding again. "I get that. How are you doing with it?"

Kennedy sighed, smirking at her boss. "I'm doing great actually. But I've had almost two years to get over it. Satsu's is still fresh. She's my friend, Buffy."

"I know that. I'm fine with you going to visit her. And since she says I'm going easy on her, make it a performance review or something official sounding."

Kennedy grinned. "Thanks, Buffy. Do you want me to wait until stuff settles down around here?"

"Nah, it's a good enough time for it. She'll need all the help she can get setting stuff up over there. And you never know where something will happen. Just keep in touch while you're gone." The other girl nodded. "Thanks, Kennedy. Have a good time."

The dark-haired slayer left, going back to her room to pack while Buffy got dressed and went to check in with Xander. She went downstairs and found Willow and Tara in the front hall with the newly arrived witches. Of the group of ten there were two girls that looked to be about thirteen, but the majority of the group were in their late teens and early twenties. Buffy was surprised to see that Willow was unsuccessfully trying to hide a scowl. The Slayer joined her friends, pulling Willow to the side by an arm. Tara glanced at them as Willow moved away from her, but continued to talk to the group.

"What's wrong? You look angry. Did something happen?" Buffy asked, keeping her voice down.

Willow shook her head, keeping her eyes on one of the girls. She turned Buffy to look at the group of women. "Look at her, in the front, the girl with the brown hair." She kept her voice low, pointing at the girl she meant.

Buffy watched her for a few minutes. The girl seemed polite, listening attentively to everything Tara was saying. When there was a pause for questions, the girl raised her hand, asking if she could request the blonde as an instructor.

Tara smiled, sending an affectionate glance towards her wife. "Willow's actually the more powerful witch. Besides, we teach together."

Willow was fuming where she stood next to Buffy. Tara felt her suddenly sour mood and looked over at them, frowning. One of the girls cleared her throat and the blonde turned her attention back to her audience.

"What is it? She seems harmless," Buffy said quietly, still watching the girl.

Willow scoffed. "Harmless? Buffy, she's flirting! That little…girl is flirting with _my_ _wife_!" She was struggling to keep her voice down, her arms stiff at her sides.

Buffy couldn't stop herself from laughing, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Willow glared at her, frowning. The Slayer choked back her laughter as the girls all turned their heads to look at them. Tara shot them a questioning look, taking an uncertain step towards them, but Buffy waved her back to her lecture, pulling Willow into the kitchen.

"Are you serious? You can't possibly be worried about this, Will," Buffy said, laughing freely now.

Willow scowled. "She's scoping out my wife, Buffy. It's not funny."

The Slayer kept laughing. "It really kind of is." The expression on her best friend's face didn't change and she made an effort to calm down. "Willow, come on. Tara loves you more than anything. I've never seen any two people who love each other like you guys. Some little girl flirting is not any kind of threat to you."

The redhead still looked doubtful and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Willow, you're being ridiculous. Trust me. Tara hasn't even noticed that girl. Ask her if you don't believe me," she challenged, tapping her friend on the forehead.

Willow sighed, nodding. _"Baby? Can I ask you something?"_

"_Of course, sweetie. Is everything okay?"_

"_Yeah, it's fine. Do you notice any of those new girls?"_

"_What? What am I supposed to notice?"_

"_How about the one in the front that's flirting with you?"_

She could see Tara's surprised look from the doorway, her wife giving the girl a questioning glance before her eyes turned to Willow, wide and blinking.

Willow gave her a gleeful grin, suddenly realizing how silly she'd been to worry for even a heartbeat's time. There was nothing on this world or any other that could keep her from Tara, or Tara from her. A rookie witch with a crush was nothing more than an amusement.

"_You over being jealous now love?"_ Tara asked, resuming her speech to the newcomers.

"_I was not jealous!"_ Willow denied. Tara didn't look at her, but Willow could see her bite her lip from where she was standing. _"I wasn't,"_ she said petulantly.

"_Sure thing, sweetie," _Tara agreed sarcastically. _"I have to admit, it's kind of adorable though. I've never seen you jealous like this,"_ she added, smiling.

Willow raised an eyebrow, smiling herself. _"Adorable? Really?"_

Tara giggled, the new arrivals glancing at each other in confusion. "Sorry, got a little distracted," she apologized out loud. _"Cute as can be," _she told Willow privately.

"_Interesting,"_ Willow mused. _"So I should be more obvious next time some little girl is flirting with my woman and it bugs me?"_

Tara shook her head over the crowd and her eyes rolled towards the ceiling, making sure Willow saw it. Her smile became tender after a moment. _"I am, you know," _she prompted and Willow could feel herself melt.

"_What?"_ she repeated her line, returning Tara's smile.

"_Yours,"_ Tara stated with as much certainty as she'd first said it, all those years before. _"And a jealous display is not necessary, Will. I pretty much find you adorable all the time,"_ she confessed. _"So are you going to come out here and do something possessive to freak her out, or do have enough faith in me to leave it alone?"_

"_Tara! It's not about having faith in you. It's about that little….it's about her sitting in lessons, undressing you with her eyes. And I don't __**have**__ to do something possessive, can't you just put your ring in her face or something?"_

"_That would be very subtle, my love." _Willow could still hear her wife's amusement.

"_Fine. I'll leave it alone. But she better keep her hands to herself."_

"_Willow!"_ Tara chided her and Willow could practically feel her rolling her eyes. _"She's not going to try anything." _There was a pause and Tara spoke again. _"Not to change the subject from how paranoid and jealous you are and how adorable I'm finding it, but where does Buffy want me to put these girls? We're done with the 'welcome to the castle, here are the rules' speech."_

Willow didn't bother to ask the Slayer. _"As far from our room as possible."_

"_I know you didn't ask her, but fine, third floor, right wing it is. We'll talk about this when I get back from showing them where they're going to sleep."_

Buffy turned back to Willow as the witches went upstairs, laughing as Tara rolled her eyes to the Slayer. "I was right, wasn't I? She didn't even notice until you said something."

Willow nodded, beginning to feel embarrassed. "Yeah, you were. She said I was being paranoid and jealous."

"Which you totally were." She laughed again. "Oh, I needed this today. Thanks, Will." She clapped her friend on the shoulder with a grin. "I've got the morning training session in a few minutes, so I've got to go, but thanks for making me laugh. I was afraid today was going to suck. Hey, send Xander down if you see him before I do."

Willow nodded, blushing as Buffy left the kitchen. She could feel Tara coming back down the stairs and sat down in a chair at the table to wait for her. She stood up unconsciously as the blonde came through the doorway, a strange expression on her face. Willow's gaze jumped immediately as she saw that her wife wasn't alone. The brown haired girl was following her, chattering excitedly.

Willow smirked triumphantly at Tara before she glared at the oblivious girl.

"_I don't want to hear a word,"_ Tara warned her, moving to join her at the table. Willow was unable to resist taking Tara's hand immediately, intertwining their fingers. Tara sighed, glancing at her warningly, but the other girl remained oblivious, still talking excitedly to Tara.

At the first pause for air, Tara politely introduced Willow. "Kelly, this is Willow. She was at the beginning of the meeting, but had to step out to talk to Buffy."

Kelly stuck a hand out to shake, forcing Willow to release Tara's hand. The redhead started to squeeze the girl's hand, but Tara put her hand quickly on her wrist, pulling her back gently. _"That was your opportunity! You couldn't have said wife? 'This is my wife, Willow.' That's not hard to say and it clearly tells her to back off."_

Tara slipped their fingers back together, the tips of Willow's fingers brushing Tara's wedding ring as their hands joined. The redhead's eyes slipped closed briefly and she took a deep breath, letting it out as she opened her eyes. Tara was watching her face carefully, nodding absently to Kelly. Willow smiled normally and nodded, squeezing Tara's hand gently.

"_I love you, Willow,"_ Tara said, her voice tender.

"_I know you do. I love you too. I'm sorry I went crazy for a second."_

"_It's okay. I've never had anybody be jealous over me before. It's kind of fun."_

Willow shot her a look, smiling. _"Well, just remember you thought it was fun next time."_

"_Next time? How often do you think this is going to happen?"_

"_Too many times than I like."_

"_Maybe half as many times as it happens to you?"_

"_What? It doesn't happen to me."_

"_Oh, it happens sweetheart, you just don't notice. Which is sweet."_

"_What? It does not happen. No one here has a crush on me!"_

"_Yeah right. You're only beautiful, smart, caring, funny, completely adorable, and amazing in bed. Why would anyone want a girl like that?"_ Tara asked sarcastically.

Willow blushed brightly, shooting a panicked glance at Tara. The blonde just smiled, squeezing her hand.

"_Tara! I can't believe you just said that!"_

"_I didn't say anything that's not true. You've got no room to deny anything I just said. We can argue it out point by point later if you want to, but we need to actually pay attention to what this poor girl is saying."_

The girl was still chattering away, oblivious to the looks the two witches were exchanging. The girl could barely take her eyes off Tara and Willow shot her wife a final knowing look, the blush gradually fading from her face.

Tara spoke up, interrupting gently, "Kelly, we've got some work to do for the first lesson and I know you haven't unpacked yet…"

"Oh, yes, Tara. I'll go do that. I can't wait for the lesson. I'll see you later." She rushed out without a glance at Willow.

The redhead shot a glare at the girl's back, turning her attention back to Tara as the blonde pulled on her hand gently. "She's got it bad," Willow commented.

Tara shook her head, rolling her eyes. "That's too bad."

Willow grinned at her. "I'd feel bad for her if she wasn't trying to get with my wife."

"She's not trying to 'get with me,'" Tara objected, pulling the redhead into a hug.

Willow just shook her head as she wrapped her arms around Tara's waist. "I know what I saw. You just wait and see. She'll be asking you out within two days."

Tara arched an eyebrow, looking doubtful. "I don't think so, sweetie. Besides, I thought you were being irrationally jealous? Now you want her to ask me out?"

Willow shook her head again. "No, I'm just trying to prove to you how gorgeous you are."

"Didn't we have this conversation a few weeks ago?" Tara asked, pulling back to smile at her wife.

Willow leaned forward for a short kiss. "Yes, but obviously it didn't work. You'll just have to let this poor girl down easy. Maybe that will prove it to you." Tara still looked doubtful and Willow smirked at her, kissing the tip of her lover's nose. "You'll see. Now let's go earn our keep around here."

Their afternoon lesson was fairly simple, just basic meditation techniques, but Tara barely made it through it. Kelly was relentless, following her and staring, asking endless questions, and trying to show off. Willow kept shooting both of them looks throughout, smug glances at Tara and possessive glares at the oblivious Kelly.

They joined the slayers for dinner, Buffy laughing at Willow's antics during the meal. The Slayer was seated at the end of the table and the witches took seats next to her on the same side of the table. Kelly immediately sat down across from Tara. Buffy hid a grin behind a hand as Willow glared at her best friend.

"You're not helping, Buffy," Willow muttered. "It's been like this all afternoon. She's been following Tara all day. She acts like I'm not even here."

Buffy laughed, turning to look at the new girl. "So, Willow tells me your name is Kelly. I'm Buffy."

The girl turned her attention reluctantly to the Slayer, nodding. "Yes ma'am. It's nice to meet you."

Buffy smiled at her. "So, how did you like your first day?"

"Oh, it was amazing. The lesson was really good and Tara's a wonderful teacher," she gushed, glancing at the blonde witch brazenly.

Tara smiled politely, feeling Willow bristle beside her. "Well, thank you Kelly, but I wouldn't be half the witch I am without Willow." She took her wife's hand under the table and gradually felt her relax. She smiled over at Willow soothingly, rubbing her thumb over the back of the redhead's hand, her finger nudging her wife's wedding rings.

The brown haired girl blinked in surprise, as if noticing Willow for the first time. "Oh, yeah. Was she your teacher? Because you two sure spend a lot of time together," she commented, her gaze shifting back to Tara.

"Yes. We _really__**, really**_ do," Willow said, her voice almost a growl.

Tara glanced at her, squeezing her hand under the table as Kelly continued. "You would think since you teach the lesson together you might want some time apart during meals or at night."

"Well Kelly, Willow and I are…" The blonde tried to spell it out to the girl.

"You're really good friends, right? I could tell," she guessed, smiling at them. Willow's eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling in frustration and Buffy had to clap both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Tara sighed, continuing, "Yes, we are good friends…" She was cut off this time by Xander's arrival. He leaned over the back of Willow's chair and hugged her around her shoulders before he went around the table.

The one eyed man dropped into the seat across from Willow, between Kelly and Buffy. He was oblivious to Willow's frustration and reached across the table to steal some food from her plate. "Hey Will, Tara. I haven't seen you two all day. How was the new group?"

Buffy grinned, dropping her hands to point to Kelly. "Xander, meet Kelly. She's one of the new arrivals. She was just asking Tara how come she and Willow spend so much time together. I know I'm eager to hear what she has to say." She shot a look at the confused young man, willing him to be quiet.

He glanced between the women. "O-kay…" he said slowly, obviously confused.

Tara shot a chiding glance at Buffy, who just grinned unashamedly. "As I was saying, Willow and I are good friends, but we're more than just friends, we're together."

The girl finally started to get it, gaping at the witches. "You two are dating? Oh my God, I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

Tara cleared her throat, cutting off the girl's apologies. "We're married."

Kelly's face dropped into her hand, instantly bright red. "Oh my God, I've been hitting on my married teacher."

"_I __**told**__ you!" _Willow crowed triumphantly to Tara through their connection.

Tara shot her a look and Kelly looked up at Willow. "I guess I should stop playing footsie with your wife then."

Willow jumped to her feet, eyes wide. Tara shot a panicked glance at the laughing girl, as Willow yelped loudly. "What?" she growled, jaw clenched.

"_Willow, she wasn't. She's kidding with you. Sweetie, sit down," _Tara rushed to reassure her, looking down the table at the staring slayers and witches.

Willow sat down slowly, watching Kelly carefully. The brown haired girl was grinning at her. "I wasn't touching her. I just wanted to push your buttons." Willow was still glaring at her, and Tara's hand lifted to run through her lover's hair. "I'm sorry. I don't always think before I speak." She looked at Tara speculatively. "And you're a beautiful woman." Her gaze shifted back to Willow. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

Willow took a deep breath, glancing at Tara before she responded. "It's okay. I shouldn't have gotten jealous. I know I don't have anything to worry about."

Tara smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to her wife's cheek, running her fingers through the back of Willow's red hair. Buffy was still giggling behind her hand and Xander was watching the whole thing with his jaw dropped.

He reached over and tapped Kelly on the shoulder. "Hi, you're new so you don't know this…but you're big time playing with fire. Willow's the most powerful witch in the world. You really don't want to mess with her."

Willow blushed, rolling her eyes at him. "Xander, I'm not the most powerful witch in the world."

He shrugged. "Whatever, Will. You're one bad ass Wicca."

"That's true," Kennedy chimed in as she entered the kitchen, her duffle bag over her shoulder. She looked at Willow and Tara with a grin. "Don't tell me Willow's gone all humble on us…"

Tara shook her head, an affectionate smile on her head as she looked at her wife. Buffy quickly spoke up with an explanation. "Kennedy, this is Kelly. She's been hitting on Tara all day."

The dark-haired slayer's eyes widened and she looked to Tara for confirmation. The blonde nodded, blushing brightly and Kennedy turned her look to Kelly. "You're brave. You don't get between these two…trust me."

Kelly sighed, smiling embarrassedly. "I get that. I said I was sorry."

Tara shot a look at the still laughing Slayer. "It's alright. Buffy's just been a little deprived for humor recently. You'll have to forgive her."

Just then, Dawn came in, her weekend bag slung over her shoulder. Buffy excitedly waved her sister over. She started happily telling the story again, laughing the whole time. Willow was blushing brightly and pulled Tara by the hand out of the room, Buffy's excited voice following them out.

Tara pulled their frantic pace to a halt as they reached their living room, pulling Willow onto the couch with her. "You okay, sweetheart?" she asked.

Willow was sitting up straight against the backrest of the couch, not letting herself lean against Tara in their typical position whenever they were on the couch together. "Are you mad at me?" Willow asked, her voice small.

Tara blinked, genuinely surprised. She sat forward, leaning in to press a kiss to her wife's temple. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I just…I know I kind of overreacted down there. I know you would have stopped her if she'd really been messing with you or anything," Willow said apologetically, glancing at Tara through her eyelashes.

The blonde just smiled, scooting across the seat and turning to put her head in her wife's lap. "It's okay, sweetie. I'd overreact too if I thought someone was laying a finger on you," Tara said, grinning up at Willow.

The redhead sighed heavily, her fingers tracing through Tara's hair slowly. "I realize that I've been acting kind of nuts and possessive, and I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you." Her eyes slipped closed as Tara's smiled faded, realizing how serious Willow was about this.

One of her hands reached up and touched her wife's face, and Willow's green eyes opened again after a moment. "You could never lose me, Willow. This can't just be about that girl, what's going on, honey?" She sat up, Willow's hand slipping out of her hair while Tara sat close beside her on the couch.

The redhead took a deep breath, her eyes shifting all around the room, her fingers flexing over her knees. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again."

Tara sighed, leaning her head against Willow's for a moment. "Sweetie, you need to tell me what's going on," she said, pulling her head back to meet her wife's eyes.

"I came so close to losing you a few weeks ago," Willow started, glancing at Tara as the other witch sighed.

"Willow," Tara said, her arm sliding over her wife's shoulder's comfortingly.

The redhead shook her head, one hand coming up to press lightly over Tara's mouth, using her wife's method for stopping her own babbling, a smile coming over her face unconsciously as Tara pressed a kiss to her hand.

"I'm not trying to be needy, or dependent, or anything, I just…when it happened, everything happened so fast, and you were just gone." Tara tried to speak from behind her wife's hand, but Willow continued quickly. "It's just the first time you've been in danger like that since you got back, and I guess I'm not handling it very well." Her eyes found Tara's and her hand slipped off of her wife's mouth, curling around the back of her neck. "I just wish I could protect you from everything, keep you safe," she sighed.

Tara leaned into Willow's hand, giving her a sympathetic look. "I know you do baby, and I love that about you. I hate how much you let it stress you out though. You know I can take care of myself. And I know that you would never let anything hurt me if there's anything you can do to stop it," Tara assured her.

Willow bit her lip, nodding. Tara smiled encouragingly, leaning forward for a quick kiss. "Not even you're all powerful my love," the blonde stated. "And you don't have to be, baby. We'll take care of each other, and we'll be fine." She gave her wife a serious look. "I promise," she said. "When I eventually die again, many, many years from now..." She smiled as she spoke. "You will be upset and sad, but you'll keep going, because you know that we'll be together again." Willow was watching her and Tara's hand brushed over her wife's cheek. "We could never really lose each other, Willow. I can't imagine how this stuff with the slayers is going to work out, but no matter what happens we _will _be together, okay?" She was still smiling gently, waiting for a response from the redhead.

Willow took a deep breath, nodding and returning the smile. "You're the best, baby," she said with a smile.

Tara's smile widened, winking. "You know it," she said, leaning in for a kiss. As they separated, she pivoted around and leaned herself back across Willow's lap, settling back into her previous position.

Willow bit her lip, feeling her heart skip a beat as Tara's head squirmed closer to her. "I love you, Tara."

The blonde smiled, her hand slipped up to rest over Willow's heart, feeling the steady beat under her palm. "I love you too, Willow."

The redhead grinned goofily. "Sorry I'm such a spaz," she apologized.

Tara giggled, shaking her head against Willow's leg. "It's okay. I only marry spazzy women,"

Willow's eyes widened and she laughed. "That's lucky for me, isn't it?"

"I'm the lucky one, baby," Tara said. "I snagged the best girl in the world."

Willow's arm was still curled under Tara's shoulders and she lifted her wife's head gently as she slipped herself out from under Tara while the blonde scooted up to rest her head against the armrest, a smile on her face as Willow stretched out beside her.

The redhead situated herself between Tara and the back of the couch, one leg sliding over Tara's. Willow smiled down at Tara as she snuggled closer, her wife's arm closing around her back.

They didn't speak, just relaxed together in comfortable silence, heads side by side against the armrest, Willow's shoulders leaned against Tara's, the blonde's arms wrapped around her wife's waist.

They could hear their friends coming, Buffy still laughing. The witches' eyes met, nonverbally debating if they should sit up and make room for their incoming friends, or if they should just let them find their own seats and keep up their cuddling.

They settled on staying where they were, Willow turning her head so her face was closer to Tara's neck. Xander swatted at the redhead's feet as he came around the couch, and she drew her legs up so that he had room to sit at the other end.

"You guys are cool, right?" he asked. "You haven't hexed that Kelly girl, have you?" There was a teasing grin on his face as Buffy seated herself on the other couch, Dawn joining her after she dropped her bag in her room.

Tara laughed as Willow shook her head, her fingers playing idly over Tara's hands on her stomach. "No Xander, I didn't do anything to her," she said, glancing down the couch at him.

Buffy was still giggling and Willow turned her gaze to the Slayer. "It's not that funny, Buffy," the redhead complained. "I was a jealous wreck for like two minutes and you're never going to let me forget it, are you?" she asked, smiling despite herself at seeing her friend smile again.

The Slayer made an effort to stop laughing, giving Willow a grateful smile. "I'm sorry, Will. It's just been a crappy few days. I guess I needed to blow off some steam more than I thought I did. I'll stop it."

Willow snuggled back into Tara's arms as Dawn handed the remote for the television to her sister, letting the Slayer control their night, figuring that Buffy could use some relaxation and even the tiny amount of control choosing the channel would give her.

They all enjoyed the relaxation of the evening, knowing that another night like this would be rare and hard to find, especially given the situation the slayers around the world were finding themselves in now that Harmony was publicizing everything she knew about them.

They would all have to take their peace where they could while the world geared up to take it from them.


	24. Chapter 23

Buffy's good mood lasted until Kennedy called a few days later with a status update from Japan. She reported that the squad had been attacked by enchanted plush toys of vampire cats. Satsu had even been possessed by one that had crawled down her throat and she'd thrown it up once Kennedy punched her in the stomach. The entire squad had then been attacked by a large mass of the toys. They had managed to destroy the shipment, which they had discovered was going to their own castle in Scotland.

They also reported that they had stolen a submarine, a fact Buffy immediately relayed to Xander.

"Alright! This is the best job I've ever had!" he yelled from his room where he was folding laundry.

Buffy was pacing in the living room and called back without thinking, neglecting to cover the speaker of her phone, "But what about the fabulous ladies night club?"

Simultaneously Willow, Tara, Kennedy, Satsu, and Dawn all screamed, "WHAT?"

Willow rushed out of her room and threw herself around the wall between her room and Xander's. He was standing next to his bed with a shirt in his hands, his jaw wide open. "What happened to **never** mentioning that, Buffy?"

"Oops?" the Slayer called back.

Willow was staring at him with a stunned expression on her face. "You…Xander…you…" She couldn't get words out.

He raised his voice, wanting everyone to hear him, "I washed dishes! That is **ALL**!" Willow still looked stunned and he gasped in surprise as she eyed him speculatively. "Tara! Willow's checking me out! Come get her out of here!" he complained loudly, pulling the shirt he had been folding to his chest protectively.

The blonde came in after a moment and pulled her redhead out by an arm, eyeing Xander herself. His jaw dropped again and he blushed as he shut the door behind them. "Thanks a **lot**, Buffy!" he yelled through the door.

The Slayer's humor with the whole situation was gone by the time she and Xander saw Harmony on Larry King claiming that the destruction of the toys was a terrorist action by the slayers toward the vampires. They could only watch in stunned disbelief as the world spoke against them, defending vampire's rights.

Things only got worse a few nights later when Andrew rushed in with news that he'd located a difficult to track group of rogues that had been making a lot of very public trouble, only strengthening the antagonism against the slayers. He and Buffy left to deal with that while Willow and Xander keep the castle running in her absence. Buffy had barely walked back in the door before Giles called with an update on his mission in Germany with Faith. An entire town had been inhabited by untrained slayers who were being fed to a demon by a former Watcher.

She dropped into a chair in the kitchen, sighing tiredly. "Do I need to come? I can have Xander fly me out there."

"No, no. It's alright. We're on our way back to you. We've got some girls with us. They're AWOL from their squads, but I think some time training with you could help them," Giles said, hearing the exhaustion in his Slayer's voice.

"Fine. We've got a new class just about to get sent out. The rooms on the ground floor should be free by Friday. They'll just have to share until then, or sleep in the barn," Buffy said, running a hand through her hair. "I'll see you when you get home. Thanks, Giles, and be careful out there."

They hung up and Buffy wearily dragged herself upstairs. She was stopped in the living room by the serious expressions on Xander and Willow's faces. The redhead stepped forward, wiping her hands nervously on her skirt. "Buffy, Dawn…she's missing."

"How long has she been gone?" she asked, dropping her bag on the floor.

"She just got home from school last night and she was at dinner, but no one's seen her at all today," Xander said, leaning over the table to look more closely at some maps.

Just then, the walkie on his belt chirped. "There's a young man here. He says he's here to see Dawn."

They exchanged confused looks. "Is his name Kenny?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

Xander straightened up. "Okay, I'm on my way down. You don't talk to him. Not one word."

"Yes, sir."

He rushed out, leaving Willow to fill Buffy in. The redhead pulled her friend to the couch. "She was supposed to be training with Tara this morning after breakfast, but she never showed up. Tara got nervous and we sent a squad into the woods to look for her, but then Andrew got word that there's a vampire army on the way here, so we're scared to split our forces."

"Vampire army? Great. Giles is on his way back with some AWOL slayers. How long do we have before this army attacks? Do we have time for them to get back?"

"Um…he thinks it will be tonight," Willow said with a grimace.

Buffy sighed. "Of course. Okay, so Tara has a squad out looking for Dawn and we're gearing up here for an attack…and now Dawn's boyfriend has come over for a surprise visit." She looked at Willow with a groan. "This couldn't get more perfect."

Xander came back in with Kenny, the young man looking serious. "Dawn's missing?" he asked with no preamble.

Buffy nodded, glancing at Xander. The one eyed man shrugged. "He asked where she was! It wasn't my fault."

She waved him off. "It doesn't matter. I'll take the squad and go after this army, then I'll catch up with Tara's squad. Will, can you get me a location?"

The redhead nodded, reaching out to her wife. "They're in the woods, near the south edge. They're about a mile from here. They found some tracks, but nothing that makes sense. She says they look like…doll shoes?"

"I was going to ask about that," Kenny said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Why would that be something you would ask about?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms with a scowl on her face. "Why on earth would that be something that is a possibility?"

The boy shuffled his feet nervously. "Well…there's a slight chance she might have been turned into a doll."

Willow and Buffy both jumped to their feet. "She's a what?" Xander asked, stepping closer to Kenny.

"My roommate Nick, I think he might have turned her into a doll."

"Why would your roommate turn my sister into a doll, Kenny?" Buffy asked him.

Kenny took a deep breath, looking around the room at them. "He's jealous. He likes Dawn. And he's got some magical abilities. He probably did it to mess with me."

Buffy dropped her head into a hand. "Will, can you fix it?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do. I'm going to have to talk to this guy Nick though. I can't undo it correctly until I know what he did exactly."

"Okay, you do that. I'll take the squad out and hunt this army. Xander, you come with me. Kenny, you're with Willow."

"Is that really the best plan, Buffy? We're just going to go into the dark to hunt a vampire army we don't know anything about?" Xander asked even as he reached for his crossbow.

"I don't have time to research them, Xander. Dawn is missing. I've got to finish this so I can get to her."

He nodded. "I'm with you." He lifted his walkie, ordering Buffy's squad into formation in front of the castle. "We're ready when you are, Buffy."

They left and Willow stepped up beside Kenny. "Let's go pay your roommate a visit," she said, looping an arm through his. He stumbled as they landed a moment later in his dorm room. The lights were off, but they could see their target asleep in bed. Willow stepped forward and kicked Nick none too gently in the butt. He jumped in surprise as he fell out of bed and rolled to face them, disoriented. He gaped as he saw Willow, energy crackling from her fingertips.

"I think we need to talk, Nick," she said seriously. He panicked and muttered a rapid spell, launching a ball of energy at the witch. She deflected it with a flick of the wrist and shook her head disdainfully. "You really don't want to try that again, Nick. Now, tell me what I need to know and I won't have to show how little you frighten me."

He nodded, glancing at Kenny as he did so. "This is about what I did to your girlfriend, right? Little bitch deserved it, turning me down."

Willow caught Kenny with an arm across his chest as the young man jumped forward. "Kenny, let me handle this." She leaned forward with a slow smile, tapping Nick firmly on the forehead with one finger. "Talk, Nick. And I don't want to hear anymore things like that about my very good friend Dawn, or I'll be very angry." She waved a hand and a chair pulled itself up behind her and she sat down, crossing her legs calmly. "Trust me, no one likes me when I'm angry, Nick."

* * *

Tara felt Willow suddenly jump to England, but figured she was following clues to help find Dawn. She was with a small group of slayers combing the forest for Dawn. They had found little doll footprints and were following them when the walkie one of the girls was carrying chirped. She handed it off to Tara immediately.

"Xander? We still haven't found anything, just more of the tracks," she said regretfully, unable to find any sense of her friend.

"Buffy's back. We're on our way to meet up with you so stay put for a few minutes."

She frowned, looking around the dark woods. "What about the vampire attack? Are you alright?"

"The army was a little bit of an exaggeration. There were only six of them," Xander said, his frustration obvious. "Buffy killed three of them by herself."

"And Willow's in England?" Tara asked, waving for the girls to stop walking.

"Yeah, she took Kenny to see his roommate. The roommate might have turned Dawn into a doll. Will's going to get the spell to fix her. Send a tinkerbell light out so we'll have a clue where you're at."

She did so and Buffy and Xander joined them after a few minutes, the rest of Buffy's squad following behind them. Buffy quickly took the lead, pushing through branches as she followed the tracks by flashlight. She was surprised when Xander shoved her, knocking her out of the way as a series of darts hit him in the chest. The rest of the squad spread out around him as Tara dropped down next to him, pulling the darts out as gently as she could. The slayers spread out, searching for the shooters, but they could only hear small rustles in the bushes, no other signs of their attackers.

She quickly took his pulse, and used her power to close the wounds. "He'll be okay. It's just tranquilizers." Buffy sighed in relief and Tara waved her on. "I'll stay with him. You go get Dawn."

Buffy nodded, signaling her squad forward. "You be careful, Tara. Call if you see anything," Buffy cautioned as they disappeared into the dark.

They were only alone for a few minutes before Willow and Kenny appeared beside them. Willow looked around for Buffy, pulling the strap of a bag over her shoulder. She saw Xander on the ground and frowned at her wife. "He's okay, just knocked out. Buffy and the squad went that way," Tara assured her, pointing the direction to her.

"You're okay here? I don't want to leave you here alone."

Tara nodded, smiling affectionately at her. "Yes, sweetie. We're fine. I'll take care of Xander, you just get Dawn back." Willow nodded and set off in the direction Tara had indicated. _"And be careful_," the blonde added.

Willow caught up quickly, Kenny running to keep up with her. They flipped their flashlights off as they saw a flash of light through the trees ahead of them. Buffy signaled her group to surround the light and moved in slowly, Willow pushing Kenny back and gesturing for him to stay put. He shook his head, but she just glared at him, pointing firmly at the ground.

They got closer, seeing that the light was coming through the window of a small cottage. Buffy crashed through the front door, Willow right behind her. The Slayer had to jump as a wooden doll ran at her feet. There were toys and dolls all over the room, all moving and yelling. Willow scooped up the doll quickly, surprised by Dawn's voice calling frantically for her sister.

"I've got you," Willow said to her quickly, raising her voice to call to Buffy as the other slayers rushed in. "Buffy, I've got Dawn."

"Get her out of here. Get back to Tara and Xander. Take Kenny out of here too," Buffy ordered, grabbing and hoisting an old man, the only human she could see, off his feet.

"Kenny's here?" Dawn asked, her tiny hands grabbing onto Willow's shirt to stabilize herself.

"If he knows what's good for him, he'd better not have moved," Willow said, walking as quickly as she could out of the cottage, one hand resting on Dawn's back. Kenny's jaw dropped as he saw them, reaching out to take Dawn from Willow.

She hesitated slightly before she sighed and carefully handed her over. "Now, hurry, we're going back to where we left Tara and Xander." She ushered him out of the clearing, keeping herself between the cottage and the couple.

Tara heard them coming and could feel Willow getting closer, but was still surprised when she saw the small doll in Kenny's arms. "Dawnie? Are you okay, sweetie?"

The boy carefully turned her so she was facing the blonde witch. "Hey Tara, yeah, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. I got broken when I tried to escape the first time, but he fixed me."

The witches exchanged worried glances. Willow put a hand on Kenny's arm. "Put her down and step back. I'm going to turn you back now, Dawn. Just stand still, okay? It should only take a second."

He did so, pressing a kiss to her wooden hair before he stepped back. Willow pulled a few small items from her bag. She handed one to Dawn, stepping back with another item in each of her own hands. "Just hold it in your hands and I'll have you back in a second," she instructed, closing her eyes.

There was a long moment where nothing happened, dust rising from the forest floor. The dust swirled around Dawn and there was a bright flash and she was standing there, normal sized. Willow waved dust out of her face, coughing and then choking as she saw that Dawn was naked. She yanked the girl behind her quickly.

"Kenny, shut your eyes. Now. And give me your jacket, turn around and stick it out behind you, don't turn this way until I tell you," she ordered. She knew, of course, that Kenny had done more than see Dawn naked, but she couldn't squelch her protective instincts toward the younger girl.

Xander coughed, waking up slowly. Tara quickly put a hand over his eye. "Xander, stay still for a few minutes," she cautioned him.

"What is it? I'm not paralyzed or something am I?" he asked, reaching up to run his hands over his chest and ribs. "Did I grow some new weird part?"

She laughed, looking up at Willow. "No, you're okay. Dawn's a little… underdressed."

"But we got her back, right? You're okay, right Dawnie?" he asked.

She laughed, smiling at Tara and Willow. "Yes, Xander. I'm okay. Just a little cold." Willow dropped Kenny's jacket over her shoulders. Dawn slid her arms into the sleeves and zipped it up. "Okay, I'm decent. You guys can…" She didn't get a chance to finish as Kenny kissed her. Tara and Willow exchanged surprised glances as Dawn returned it, jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist.

The witches could hear Buffy coming and Tara kept her hand over Xander's eye. "Dawn, honey, you need to…" There was no time to finish and Willow had to settle for ripping the two teenagers apart, pushing Dawn back so that she was between them.

Buffy looked carefully between them, crossing her arms over her chest. "Was she just? And Dawn, why are you naked?"

Xander pulled Tara's hand tighter over his eye. "Dawn's naked?" he croaked.

"She's got a jacket on so she's covered," Willow said, shooting a look at the teenagers.

Xander sat up, keeping his eye tightly closed as he shrugged out of his own jacket. "Here, cover up more." He held the jacket out blindly. Tara laughed as she took it, handing it to Dawn. She rolled her eyes, but tied it around her waist.

"You can open your eye, Xander. I promise you won't see anything," Dawn said, moving to take Kenny's hand. Willow shot them a warning look and moved to help Tara to her feet. Buffy hugged her sister, glancing at Kenny as she did so.

"Thanks for your help Kenny. Let's get back to the castle and we can put this story together." She ran her eyes over her sister's awkward makeshift clothes. "And Dawn can get dressed."

"We'll find somewhere more comfortable than our couch for you to sleep tonight, Kenny," Tara offered, smiling.

Buffy shot her a look and Willow grinned at her best friend, slipping an arm through Tara's. "Maybe across the hall from Faith's room. She'll be back with Giles by tomorrow. She can keep an eye on him for you." Buffy grinned cheerfully at that suggestion and Willow rolled her eyes.

They made it back to the castle, Dawn shivering as they came through the door. Kenny had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close and Buffy was eyeing them suspiciously. They went up to their suite in a hurry, Tara ducking into the kitchen to grab some hot chocolate for Dawn. The youngest girl went into her room to change, Kenny keeping far away from her door, Buffy's eyes not moving off of him.

Dawn came out after a few minutes and returned both jackets, giving both men a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, guys." Tara handed over the mug and Dawn gave her a kiss too, sitting down on the couch. Kenny and Buffy stared at each other for a long moment and she nodded, signaling him to take the seat next to Dawn. The witches joined Xander on the other couch and Buffy pulled a chair from the table over to them.

She dropped wearily into the chair, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, now someone needs to fill me in on how all this happened."

The others all looked at each other and Dawn finally spoke up. "Okay, well I guess it started with me. Kenny's roommate Nick has always kind of flirted with me, but he…well…" She hesitated and Buffy leaned forward in her seat.

"Dawn, did he hurt you?" she asked, both hands clenching unconsciously while the Scoobies all sat up straighter, suddenly tense.

Dawn shook her head quickly. "No, he was just…pushy. He didn't put a hand on me though," she added, seeing the look on her sister's face. "He was always just getting in my space and making comments, stuff like that. I always ignored him, but a few days ago he caught me alone and he was just really being a jerk so I told him off and left. Then I came home for the weekend and I woke up in my bed this morning as a doll."

"How'd you get all the way out into the forest? How come you didn't come find one of us?" Willow asked, frowning.

"I tried. That creepy Geppetto guy kidnapped me."

"How did he get in the castle?" Xander asked, looking at Willow. "I thought the defenses were solid."

"They are! He couldn't have created a portal anywhere on the grounds. He'd have had to…"

"He walked in," Dawn said, interrupting them. "Through the front door."

Willow blinked, her jaw dropping open. "Oh…well, I don't have any spells in place for that…" Tara smiled tenderly and rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's not your fault, Will," Buffy said. "We're not really used to our enemies using our door."

"Did you kill that guy?" Dawn asked, looking at her sister.

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. "No, just made him regret coming here. The other toys begged me not to kill him." She paused. "That's weird to say with a straight face."

Dawn grinned. "So, anyway, he took me out there and I was trying to escape whenever you guys busted in and saved me. How'd you guys find me?"

"Kenny showed up on our doorstep and told us to look for a doll. Tara already had a team in the woods looking for you and she found your tracks," Xander answered. "And Willow politely convinced Nick to tell her what he'd done and she figured out how to fix it."

Dawn looked at the redhead and lifted an eyebrow, smirking. "Politely?"

Willow grinned. "I didn't hurt him. I thought that that was very polite of me."

Kenny laughed from his seat next to Dawn. "She was great. She kicked him straight out of his bed and he tried to throw this ball of light thing at her and she just swatted it away."

Tara sat forward, concerned. "He attacked you? Sweetie, are you okay?"

Willow shook her head. "It was nothing. Barely worth calling it an attack. I promise." She leaned back against Tara's arm, the blonde lifting it to wrap it around her shoulder, squeezing her in tight against herself.

Buffy smiled at them. "Well, it sounds like I'm caught up." She yawned. "I hate to save you and run, but I've been traveling all day and I'm exhausted. Giles and Faith will be back tomorrow and we've got a lot to figure out. This anti-slayer stuff is getting worse."

"Meeting?" Xander sighed. Buffy nodded, standing up and moving toward her room. "Okay, we'll see you in the morning, Buff." Her door shut behind her and the Scoobies exchanged worried glances.

* * *

Willow managed to strengthen the castle's defenses even further in the following weeks, shielding it from detection by radar, but their enemies were becoming more numerous every day. Willow hid the castle from visual detection, creating a magical shield that made the castle indistinguishable from the surrounding forest unless you already knew where it was. She and Tara eventually had to use their powers to move the castle onto a deserted island off the coast, bringing the submarine to Scotland at the same time. The public anger against slayers was increasing all the time. The slayer squads around the world were experiencing opposition and anger as they tried to battle the forces of darkness. More and more of the slayer squads were forced to retreat to Scotland, quickly filling up the castle beyond capacity.

Willow received a frantic warning early one morning from her friends at the coven she'd lived with in England while she was meditating on the roof. She dropped off the edge of the building, slowing herself down to lightly land on the balcony of the second floor. There were already people rushing all over the castle despite the early hour, the increased tension of their situation making everyone restless.

Buffy was in their living room poring over piles of maps and documents with Giles and Xander. Dawn and Tara were working on spells on the couch. They looked up in surprise as Willow rushed in, the door banging shut loudly behind her. "Buffy, Xander, we've got a huge problem. They've found us again. Every demon in the country is coming here. We've got to get the squads mobilized. Xander, send the witches to the roof."

The Scoobies jumped to their feet, scattering to their jobs. Xander pulled his walkie out, calling for the squads. Tara pulled Dawn with her, racing to the roof. Willow followed Buffy out, filling her in on what she'd heard before she joined Tara and the Wicca squads on the roof. They could already see the demons coming, the army stretching back for miles. The squads started casting new shields, watching their enemies approaching.

The slayers rushed into battle on the ground below them, Buffy in the lead, the scythe flashing as she fought. The witches did what they could to help, sending spells into battle while trying to strengthen and maintain the shields protecting the castle. The fight wasn't going well, the sheer numbers overwhelming the slayers. They had to retreat inside eventually, and the witches could hear Buffy call out to them from the balcony below. Willow dropped down to join her on the balcony, staring down at the battle in horror.

The demons had military weapons with them and mystical weapons of every description. The Wiccans were constantly casting new shields, trying to deflect missiles as well as spells. Tara and Dawn kept the defense up while Willow talked over their options with Buffy.

The Slayer wiped blood from her face, grimacing. "Satsu caught one of them, can you make them talk? Find out how they found us. They're in our rooms. Kennedy's team is guarding the door." She looked seriously at Willow, glancing up at the roof above them. "How long can we hold them off?"

Willow took a deep breath, her hands shaking from exhaustion, but she squeezed both hands into fists to stop the trembling. "Not long. We're going to have to leave, Buffy."

"Got any ideas? We're losing people fast out there."

Willow frowned. "I'll work on that. Keep them off my back." Buffy nodded, clapping her friend on the shoulder as the witch wiped sweat from her forehead. They went back inside to their rooms, Buffy fighting off demons as Willow rushed inside. Kennedy made sure the door was closed safely behind her, joining Buffy in keeping their enemies away from Willow and Satsu. Eventually, Buffy had to pull back to guard the balcony, trying to keep the demons away from the witches on the roof.

Willow and Satsu burst out of the room after a short time, the slayer leaping into battle to help Kennedy while Willow blasted a space clear with a spell. Her efforts were really starting to show on her and she called loudly for Buffy. "Get them to the submarine, now!"

The Slayer yelled back her acknowledgement, signaling the slayers with them to pull back. Willow rushed back to the roof, floating herself to join Tara and the squad. She was horrified to see that several members of the squad had collapsed, dead. Tara could only shake her head, looking distraught, tears streaming down her face even as she continued to cast. Willow blinked, stunned. She forced herself to breathe, raising her voice. "We're pulling out. The slayers are going to the submarine. We're going to join them. Dawn, lead them out. I need Tara's help up here."

The younger girl shook her head. "I'm not leaving you, there are demons all over the castle."

"Dawn! I need you to do this. I'll keep the halls clear for you. You just get them out. We'll be there as soon as we can, I promise," Willow said, interrupting her.

The squad stumbled as the demons broke through their spell casting, the demons below rushing forward as the last defenses crumbled. Willow pointed firmly as Dawn opened her mouth to protest. She finally nodded, scowling. Willow's eyes slid closed and Dawn led the other witches out. Tara watched anxiously over the edge of the roof until they reached the bottom, the witches joining up with the slayers and rushing toward the coast.

Willow's nose started bleeding and she had sweat pouring down her face and Tara took her hand as they heard crashing down below them. "What's the plan?" the blonde asked, her free hand wiping the blood from her wife's face.

"We're going to bring the castle down on top of them," Willow said, still watching the hordes of demons coming at them.

"And the submarine?"

"They're tracking our magic, us and the slayers. That's got to be our last spell. Everyone gets in the sub and we get it out of here."

Tara frowned. "Where are we going to go?"

Willow sighed, squeezing her hand. "There's only one person I know that's managed to control his magic, bury it. Hopefully he can help us."

It took her a moment to realize who Willow was referring to. "Oh. Maybe I shouldn't go with you."

Willow turned her head quickly from looking down to meet her gaze. "Tara, I'm not going anywhere without you. That's not even an option." She took a deep breath. "Now let's do this. They should be there by now."

They both closed their eyes, speaking the spell simultaneously. The roof started rumbling beneath their feet. They could hear beams cracking and stone popping below them. There was a strange moment of calm before the building crumbled out from under them. They fell for a short second before Willow caught them, pulling Tara close to her. She could feel Tara's power feeding her own, keeping her from collapsing in exhaustion as they flew toward the coast.

She brought them to a gentle landing on top of the submarine, the long vehicle already floating away from the beach. She stomped on the hatch and Buffy opened it, relief on her face. Tara climbed in, Willow lingering to watch the dust rise from the remnants of what had been their home. "Willow!" Tara called, staring anxiously up at her. "We've got to go."

Willow climbed down into the sub with her and Buffy closed the hatch behind her. "Okay Will, where are we going?" Buffy asked, squinting in the sudden darkness.

Tara summoned a light and they heard Xander yell in the front of the sub. "Guys! I don't really know how to drive this thing. What are we doing?"

Willow took a deep breath, wiping her hands on her dirty skirt. "They've been tracking our use of magic." She looked at Buffy. "I'm sorry. Everything I've done to hide us has only drawn them to us."

Buffy sighed, leaning on the scythe wearily. "It's not your fault, Will. There's no way you could have known that. What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to do one more spell to get us out of here," Willow said, exchanging a glance with Tara.

Buffy frowned. "But where are we going where they can't just find us again?"

"We're going to see Oz. He's the only person I can think of that can help us hide. He buried his own power. Hopefully he can help us do the same thing."

Buffy blinked in surprise, looking carefully at Willow. "You're sure about this?"

The redhead groaned, shaking her head. "No, I'm not, but we've run out of options. Oz is the only idea I have left." She met Buffy's eyes, the Slayer finally nodding. Tara stepped closer to her, slipping a hand into hers. "Everybody just hang on and we'll be out of here in a minute."

Tara extinguished her light and took Willow's other hand. A tremor ran through the submarine and there was a loud pop as they changed locations. There was a collective groan as the pressure changed, their hands coming up to cover their ears as everyone's ears popped.

"Was that it? Are we there?" Buffy asked. She paused, thoughtful. "Where does Oz live anyway?"

Willow was leaning heavily on Tara and the blonde was shaking, her arm sliding around her lover's waist. Willow's head came up slowly. "Tibet," she gasped. "We're in Tibet."


	25. Chapter 24

Buffy opened the hatch slowly, letting a burst of cold air into the submarine. She climbed out first, sliding to the ground. Willow and Tara came next, the redhead immediately spotting the young man sitting on the hillside in front of them.

He got slowly to his feet and she took an uncontrollable step forward, only vaguely hearing the others climbing out of the submarine over the blood rushing through her ears. "Oz…"

He walked forward slowly, staring at her. "Willow? How…?"

She was surprised to feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She didn't realize how much she had missed him until his arms folded around her, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, breaking into tears against his shoulder.

Buffy watched Tara carefully as the redhead hugged her ex-boyfriend. The blonde witch was staying back from the pair, her arms crossed over her chest with her blue eyes locked on her wife. The Slayer put a hand on her friend's elbow and Tara looked at her. The witch forced a smile, still obviously anxious about Oz's reaction to seeing her again.

Willow stepped back, wiping her tears as she did so, looking over her shoulder for Tara. She could see her lover's anxiety and looked back at the werewolf. "Sorry we just dropped in on you like this, but we need your help, Oz."

He smiled calmly, eyeing the crowd of girls, all of them bruised and bloody. "I figured."

She smiled uncontrollably at how little he had actually changed. "Are you…I mean…." She stumbled over the words, surprised how much seeing him again was shaking her up.

He shook his head at her, stepping around her to greet Buffy, hugging the Slayer. They pulled back after a long moment and he turned to look at the other witch. "Tara." Willow stepped up beside her wife, sliding their hands together without thinking about it. "It's good to see you," he said calmly, touching her gently on the arm. She let out a deep breath, giving the werewolf a cautious smile.

He shook hands with Xander and Giles as they came forward, hugging Dawn. She was shivering and he gestured for them to follow him. He led them into the monastery, the girls crowding into the front room. Buffy called for their attention, raising her voice. "You all stay in here, but don't touch anything. We're guests here. We'll get the bed situation worked out as quickly as we can."

Oz slid a door open, waving the Scoobies into another room. They all stared at each other for a long moment. "So, long time no see," Xander said, grinning around the room.

"Well said," Oz commented, shrugging out of his jacket. The one eyed man reached up to touch his eye patch, laughing.

Willow rolled her eyes, squeezing Tara's hand. "Are you okay with this, Oz? I know we just busted in on your life here."

He looked at her seriously, glancing at Tara, his eyes flickering down to their joined hands. "It's okay. I'm not in danger of ripping you up, if that's what you mean."

She blushed, looking between Tara and Oz. "I guess that's part of it. There's a bit more to it than that, but that was a big part of it." She hesitated, swallowing. "I really don't want you trying to kill my wife."

To his credit, Oz's expression didn't change. There was a long pause and he smiled. "That's fair, as long as you don't kill mine either."

Willow's jaw dropped, a smile coming to her face immediately. "Oz! You didn't tell me you got married!"

He shrugged, a small smile of his own curling the corner of his mouth. "You didn't tell me you got married either. And strictly speaking, Bay and I aren't married in a legal sense, but she's the rest of me."

Willow grinned over at Tara, slipping an arm around her waist. "I know exactly what you mean." Tara smiled gently back at her. "I'm happy for you, Oz."

He smiled at them, looking at Tara. "I'm happy for you too, Will." Just then there was a gentle tap on the door and a young woman poked her head in. A grin split Oz's face and he waved for her to come in. She did so, and the others could see that she held a baby in her arms. "How's he doing?" he asked, taking the baby from her.

She smiled, straightening the baby's cap. "He's fine. He just woke up." She glanced at the group. "We have company?"

He nodded, bouncing the baby happily. "These are some friends from home." He looked up from the infant to the group. "Everybody, this is Bay." He introduced the Scoobies, everyone waving to the young lady. "And last but not least, this is our son, Kelden."

Dawn squealed, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Willow was grinning at him and she squeezed Tara closer to her. He bounced the baby a final time and handed him back to his mother. "Well, I'm sure you're exhausted, so let's find you all some places to sleep."

"Thank you, Oz. You're really saving us here," Buffy said seriously.

He just shrugged. "No problem. There should be more than enough room, but you'll probably be separated some."

"Anything is great with us," Buffy said, looking around at her friends. "We're all about to fall asleep standing up."

"Actually, it appears as if some of your friends have already done so," Bay said, pointing over her shoulder to the room where they'd left the slayers.

* * *

Tara woke up the next morning hearing Willow talking to someone quietly, obviously trying not to wake her up. She could feel Willow sitting next to her on the bed and there was another person sitting at the foot. Her attention was grabbed as she heard her own name and she lay still to listen.

"So you and Tara have stayed together all this time? That's impressive, Will," Oz said quietly.

Willow nodded, looking down at her sleeping wife with a loving smile, brushing a hand gently over her back. "It wasn't smooth. I messed it up so much." She got a deep breath. "I got addicted to magic and I hurt her and she left me." She decided quickly that explaining Tara's return from the grave would take a much longer conversation than they had time for at the moment.

"We all mess things up, Will. You and I would know that better than anyone. And you're together now. That's what matters."

She smiled at him, nodding. "You're right. When did you get so wise, Oz?"

He shrugged, smiling. "It must be all the mountain air."

"You've changed so much, but in so many ways you're the same guy I knew before," Willow commented. "And you have a kid now!"

Oz grinned at the mention of his son. "Yeah, he's the best thing that ever happened to me. Him and Bay. They really are the rest of me. She's been here longer than I have, she took care of me in the beginning, when I was still learning to control the wolf."

"So you've known her for a long time…"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I've known her about as long as you've known Tara. I messed it up with her too, you know, when I left. Of course, when I left I didn't even know she felt like that about me. My only thought was to get back to you. I didn't even notice that Bay had feelings for me. I found out when I got back because she was acting so strange. It took a while, but we worked through it eventually."

"That's great, Oz. I'm so happy for you."

"I'm happy for both of us."

Willow smiled at him and they both heard a bell chime in the distance. He got up from his seat at the end of the bed, looking around for his jacket. "I'm sorry, I've got to go. We're starting group meditations in a few minutes. I'll come find you after, maybe, if you're up?" He paused in getting ready to leave. "It was good to catch up with you, Willow."

She nodded. "You too, Oz."

He slid the door open quietly, a burst of cold air causing Willow to squeak and pull the blankets up over her as she laid back in bed quickly.

"It's not dawn yet, so you might want to go back to sleep," Oz advised cheerfully as he slid the door closed behind him.

Willow rested a hand on Tara's back for a moment, leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of her neck. "I know you're awake. Turn over and talk to me."

Tara turned to her other side, smiling sleepily. "Busted."

"We've been sleeping together too long now for me not to be able to know when you're faking being asleep. How much did you hear?" Willow asked, brushing hair out of her lover's face.

"Not much. How long have you been awake?"

Willow shrugged. "A few hours maybe." She squirmed under the blankets, trying to find a warm spot. Tara jumped as the redhead's cold feet found hers. The blonde slid back, pulling Willow into the spot she'd just vacated. "Ooh, it's warmer the closer I get to you," Willow commented playfully and Tara slid closer, wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist. Willow snuggled into her, smiling. "This is much better. I didn't realize how cold I was."

"We are in Tibet, sweetie," Tara observed, pulling the blankets more snugly around Willow's shoulders. The redhead yawned as she warmed up and Tara smiled gently. "You have to be exhausted. Get some sleep."

Willow shook her head, pouting. "You're awake now, I want to talk to you. I feel like we've barely seen each other lately. We're always so busy working. And now we specifically _can't_ do magic. It's like we _have _to just stay here and talk."

Tara arched an eyebrow. "Talk huh? You don't have anything else in mind for this time off?"

Willow smirked, leaning in for a quick kiss. "Of course I do. We can have a picnic, or stargaze, take long walks in the mountains, or spend lots of time in bed, not sleeping. For now though, I just want to lay here and talk to you. I miss you, baby."

Tara squeezed her closer. "I miss you too, Will. How was catching up with Oz?"

"It was great. He's really doing well. They've got a really good thing going up here. They're teaching a lot of werewolves to control the wolf. He said they've had some trouble with a rogue wolf who leads a group who all have Veruca's attitude about the wolf, and he and his pack attacked the monastery a few months ago, but in spite of the struggle Oz seems really, really happy."

"That's good. And you're not jealous?"

Willow blinked in surprise. "Jealous? What would I be jealous of? I've got you," she said, squeezing Tara and grinning.

"Of Oz and Bay. I mean, he was your first love. That's not easy to get over."

She stared at Tara for a long moment, her face gradually growing serious. "Baby, he might have been my first love, but you're the only one that matters. You'll be the last person I love. The only thing I might be jealous of Oz and Bay about is Kelden." She ran a finger over the blonde's face. "I wish I could have your baby."

Tara blinked, a tear falling suddenly. "Willow, really?"

The redhead nodded, smiling. "Of course. Our kids would be perfect." She sighed. "Even if we could have kids though, it's way too dangerous with the way we live." She snuggled in closer and Tara shifted to rest her head on Willow's shoulder. "This is enough for me," the redhead said, pressing a kiss to the top of Tara's head. "This is what I want."

Tara sighed. "Thank you."

"What for?" Willow asked, confused.

"For being exactly who you are, mostly. I love you, Willow."

Willow smiled against her hair. "And I love you, Tara. You're my future, my family. That's all I need." Tara sighed again, settling closer to her wife. They fell asleep quietly, peaceful for the first time in a long while.

Tara woke again a few hours after sunrise, but couldn't drag herself away from the warm blankets or Willow's arms. She brushed hair away from the sleeping girl's face, pressing a gentle kiss to her lover's forehead. The redhead shifted a little but stayed asleep. Their battle had left them all wounded and Tara gently traced the scrapes and scratches on her wife's skin.

Her inspection was interrupted by a quiet knock on their door. She quietly got out of bed, carefully tucking the blankets back around Willow, making sure she stayed warm. Tara pulled a sweater over her pajamas and opened the door a crack. Buffy was on the other side, a serious expression on her face.

"What is it? What's happened?" Tara asked, suddenly worried.

The Slayer shook her head quickly. "No, nothing happened. I just…can I talk to you for a second?"

Tara frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, do you want me to wake up Willow?"

"No, it's…it's about her. Let her sleep."

Tara shut the door quietly behind her and Buffy led the way back down the hallway to where Giles was waiting for them. Tara glanced between the two of them. "What's going on?"

"We're worried about Willow. About the magic she's being using," Giles said.

Tara frowned. "She's had it under control the whole time. She's doing great."

Buffy lifted a hand to stop her. "I know that. We know that. There's nothing specific we're worried about, it's just, recently she's been using so much, pushed much farther than she's ever pushed her control. We just wanted…_I_ just wanted to make sure I wasn't killing my best friend by asking her to do so much."

Tara nodded, taking a deep breath. "She has been using a lot of power, but she's always careful. She stays more aware of the risks than any of us realize. She's never let herself forget how much it cost her last time."

"And what about our plan now? Hiding our magic? What does she think of that?" Giles asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

Tara smiled. "I think she'll do better with it than I will. We talked about it a little right after you went and talked to Tichajit. We were talking about the affect the death of magic would have on our connection."

Buffy blinked in surprise. "I didn't think about that." She looked at Giles. "What will happen?"

He looked thoughtful. "I don't know. We'll just have to figure it out as we go."

Tara sighed. "That's what we figured. Even if it does go away, it doesn't change how we feel about each other and it won't change our commitment. We'll just have to get used to living without it again. And if we're off magic completely, we'll have other things to get used to also."

Buffy sighed, looking at the witch. "I'm sorry, Tara. I know this is going to be rough on the two of you."

The witch nodded, pulling her sweater closer as an icy breeze came down the corridor. "It's not your fault, Buffy. We'll get through this." She smiled reassuringly. "Who knows, it could be fun to be normal again."

Buffy smirked. "I don't think any of us will ever be normal Tara, even if we do manage to hide our powers."

Tara shrugged. "We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves anyway." She looked at Giles. "So, we're doing this?"

He sighed, nodding. "It might well be our best option. We'll have to discuss it further with the girls and Oz."

Tara nodded and pointed back down the hall. "Should I go get Willow?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, no. Everyone else is still sleeping. I asked Oz if we could meet with him tomorrow morning. Stay in bed the rest of the day." She winked at the witch teasingly. "Even Oz seemed tired when I talked to him. We must be rubbing off on him."

Tara blushed, shaking her head. "Oh, he was in there talking to Willow this morning when I woke up. They talked until he had to leave for morning meditations at dawn."

Buffy's eyes widened. "He was in there all night?"

The blonde shrugged. "Well he wasn't in there when I fell asleep, but Will said he was in there for a few hours at least."

The Slayer smiled carefully at Tara. "You're okay with that, right? You know there's nothing between them anymore."

"Oh I'm sure there is, but it's nothing that threatens what Willow and I have." She smiled reassuringly at Buffy. "I know Willow loves me. And Oz loves Bay. Everybody is where they're supposed to be."

The Slayer grinned, nodding. "Exactly! I'm happy for Oz. And how cute is his son!"

Tara grinned. "He's adorable, that's for sure. Willow said…" She trailed off suddenly, a wistful expression coming over her face and Buffy had a feeling she knew what had caused her friend's abrupt mood shift.

The Slayer yawned widely, stretching suddenly. "I think I'll go back to bed. G'night everybody." She headed down the hall, pulling Giles with her. Tara lingered for a moment, watching them leave before she returned to the room she was sharing with Willow.

The redhead was just starting to wake up as the blonde slipped back in beside her. She blinked up at Tara as she leaned over to kiss her. "Are you okay?" She could feel that her wife was sad about something, but couldn't tell what it was. She returned the kiss, breaking it gently after a minute. "Baby, what is it? What's wrong?" Her eyes searched Tara's face for some clue, concerned.

Tara just shook her head, kissing her again. Willow went with it, slipping a hand into her hair. Gradually, the blonde shifted her kisses to her lover's neck. The redhead was surprised by her wife's sudden passion but found herself too caught up to fight against it.

It was much later before she had another opportunity to ask about it. Tara's head was resting on her shoulder, idly pressing kisses against her damp skin. "Tara? What was bothering you earlier?"

Tara let out a deep breath, feeling Willow's fingers threading through her hair. "It's nothing. Or at least, nothing you can help me with sweetheart."

Willow smiled tenderly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Why don't you let me figure that out, baby? You know I'll do anything for you."

Tara tilted her head back to look up at her. "I know that, love. I just…I asked you if you were jealous of Oz and Bay…and I guess it turns out that I am…"

Willow looked down at her thoughtfully for a long moment, figuring out her meaning. "You mean the baby?" Tara nodded, burying her face in the side of the redhead's neck. "Oh Tara. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have our baby. For you I'd do anything…"

The blonde cut her off mid-babble, pressing a hand over her mouth, as she pressed kisses across her neck. "I know that sweetie, I know. I've known since before I came out that I'd never have children. At first it was because I didn't want to risk having a daughter and having her grow up the way I did, with my family. And that was fine, I was okay with it." She leaned up on an elbow to look down into Willow's eyes. "But I never imagined that I'd ever feel this way about anyone." Willow reached up to press Tara's hand tighter against her mouth, pressing kisses to her lover's palm. "I love you Willow, and we would have beautiful children, but I don't need it. I just need you. I don't know why I'm letting it bother me. It's not something I've even thought about really. Just seeing Oz and Kelden…" She sighed. "If it wasn't for me he could have been your son."

Willow blinked in surprise, lifting Tara's hand from her face. "Baby, if you think for one second that I regret my choice, you're dead wrong."

"I know that, I do," Tara rushed to assure her, the look on Willow's face taking her breath away and stopping her words.

Willow squeezed her hand. "Tara, there's not one moment of happiness in my life that isn't directly related to having you in it. I wouldn't give up one second of my life with you, even if it meant having a child with Oz." She leaned up for a kiss, which Tara immediately provided. She smiled as they pulled back, tracing a hand over her wife's face. "Besides, even if we can't have kids from it, going through the motions is still fun, right?"

Tara's eyebrows raised, blinking in surprise as a lopsided grin came across her face. "Yes ma'am," she agreed, leaning down for another kiss.

* * *

Buffy was relieved to see that both witches seemed relaxed and at ease when they showed up the next morning for the meeting. They sat down against the wall, Tara laughing at something Willow had whispered to her, leaning her head against the redhead's shoulder and playing with Willow's fingers while they waited for the rest of the girls to show up.

There were a dismaying number of girls killed or wounded. Of the two hundred residents they'd had at the castle, only about half remained. Most of the casualties had been younger girls who'd only been at the castle for a short time, but there were several veterans missing from Buffy's elite squad. The remnants of Buffy's squad limped in, still exhausted, but obedient to their leaders' orders. Satsu was on some scavenged crutches, Kennedy helping her. The slayers would have followed Buffy into another battle if she'd asked it of them. They knew the cost of doubting Buffy, and the sudden worldwide antagonism against them was serving to unite the girls.

Xander had the blanket from his bed wrapped around his shoulders, both hands holding it closed in front of his chest. Everyone was bundled up in the spare jackets and sweatshirts Oz and his group had been able to scrounge up. Giles had a scarf wrapped around his neck, his arms crossed to keep his hands warm. Dawn had the hood pulled up on her sweatshirt and rushed over to sit next to Willow and Tara. Xander joined them, sliding down next to Dawn and spreading his blanket so it covered all of them.

Buffy stayed standing, talking quietly to Giles until Oz and Bay came in, Kelden riding on Oz's shoulder. Bay took the child from him and stood quietly at his side. Oz looked around and found Willow with his eyes, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement. She waved back with her free hand, smiling cheerfully at him and putting her arm around Tara's shoulders as she brought it down. Buffy stepped forward to address the group as Oz nodded to her.

"Okay guys, here's the deal. Willow got information from a captured demon that Twilight and his followers have been tracking us through the magic we use."

One of the youngest slayers looked over at the witches. "So it's their fault?"

Buffy scowled at the girl. "Absolutely not. Willow and Tara saved your ungrateful ass two days ago and no one had better forget it. We're all to blame. The base of our power is magical. That's what we're here to do something about." She pointed to Oz. "This is an old friend of ours. Oz is a werewolf, but he's one of the few in the world with the ability to control his transformations. He's learned to control his wolf side. He's going to help us learn to harness and control our powers."

Oz stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. "The process is not easy. It's going to be a lot of work. You're all strong women, but what we'll be doing is going to test even your slayer strength. And it's important that you're committed to finishing the training. If you quit before you master the techniques, it could do more harm than not starting at all." He scanned the crowd. "If you're not willing to stick with it to the finish, you might as well leave now…staying will only lead your enemies to your friends."

"We're not asking you to decide right now. We'll give you the rest of the day to make up your minds, but we'll need to know who's staying and who's going by nightfall tonight," Buffy said seriously, taking the lead back from Oz. "Does everyone understand?" She received nods from the girls and she nodded back. "Good, then you're dismissed until sundown."

The slayers scattered and the Scoobies wandered out onto the porch. There were rocking chairs outside and they all sat down. Willow chose to sit on the ground in front of Tara's chair, leaning back against her wife's legs. Dawn sat down against the wall of the monastery so she could keep using Xander's blanket, pulling him down to sit beside her.

"So what's involved in this training?" Buffy asked Oz as Bay put Kelden down on the ground. He promptly crawled straight to Willow. She laughed as he turned over to sit on his bottom, his tiny fists wrapping around her fingers as she helped him sit up.

Oz smiled at his son before he turned his attention to the Slayer's question. "When the wolf comes, the trick to controlling the transformation is to let him come, but rather than keep the power contained within, you have to let it pass through you, into the earth."

Willow nodded. "That makes sense. The coven taught me about that. How everything is connected, through the earth." She looked up from playing with Kelden and smiled at Oz's nod.

Bay spoke up, "So you've been trained before?"

"Not like what you're talking about. I have some training in controlling my magic, but I've never done anything like we're going to do soon," Willow said, shaking her head. Kelden was pulling on her fingers and she leaned down to make faces at him.

"It should give you an advantage though, Will," Oz commented.

She nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah, well I have a feeling that we'll all need all the help we can get."

Buffy sighed, stretching. "How hard is this going to be anyway?"

Oz and Bay exchanged glances. "It normally takes a werewolf a year's worth of full moons to master the technique. I'm not sure how long it will take the slayers. The power is different." He glanced at Willow and Tara. "And I'm even less sure how long it will take for the two of you. You're both incredibly powerful. In some ways, your power is greater even than the slayers."

Xander laughed. "We've always known that Willow's the strongest of all of us. I've been afraid of her since first grade."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's just because I hit you in the face with the tether ball every time we played."

He shrugged, grinning at her. "Whatever, you're a formidable woman, Will."

Tara smiled, running her fingers through Willow's hair. The redhead tilted her head back and smiled at her wife.

Oz nodded in agreement, watching her. "The training will be easy enough for you, Xander. Watchers don't have any inherent magic, do they?"

Xander shook his head rapidly with a wide grin. "None at all. I'll have a good time watching all of you. Dawn, as the other normal person, will you be joining me in the best seat in the house?"

Tara shook her head with a smile. "Wish you could sweetie, but you have your own power to hide now. You'll have to go through the training with the rest of us."

Dawn pouted. "I knew practicing magic would come back to bite me in the butt. If only I had listened to Buffy in the first place."

The Slayer choked on her air, falling dramatically out of her chair. The others laughed loudly at her display while Dawn rolled her eyes. Buffy was grinning widely as she sat back up. "I can die happy now," she declared. "Dawn just admitted I was right about something." She glanced at Willow and Tara. "Not that you guys haven't been great teachers for her. And Dawnie, not that you haven't become a great witch." She grinned and laughed. "I just like being right."

Willow rolled her eyes and leaned down to cross them at Kelden. The baby gurgled happily before a look of concentration came across his face. "Um Oz…he's looking kind of intense…he might need a change here in a minute."

The werewolf chuckled, nodding as he reached over and picked up the baby. "That's my guy," he commented proudly. Bay moved to take the baby, but Oz stood up with him, smiling down at his wife. "It's alright, I've got him." He walked back inside and the Scoobies looked around their new surroundings.

Buffy stretched, popping up from her chair. "I'm going to go explore, who wants to come with?" She looked at Bay. "If that's alright. I don't want to intrude."

She shrugged, smiling. "It's no intrusion. Just be quiet, some people will be meditating on the hillside." She lifted a finger to her lips.

Buffy nodded, shooting a look at Dawn and Xander. "Can you two handle that? Inside voices."

They glanced at each other, both rolling their eyes at the Slayer. "Yes, we can," they sighed in unison and Giles was polite enough to hide his laugh behind a cough.

Willow looked up at Tara before shaking her head. "I think I'll stay here. I'm still kind of tired from the other day."

Buffy raised a teasing eyebrow at the two and Willow blushed brightly. "The battle," she hissed through clenched teeth. The Slayer just shrugged and grinned as she walked off. "Pervert," Willow muttered as she rested her head back against Tara's knees. She quickly sat up, turning to look at her lover. "Unless you want to go, baby. We can go if you want to."

Tara smiled gently, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine here, sweetie. We haven't really had a chance to talk to Bay."

The other woman was studying them quietly and spoke slowly. "You're the one he left to return to." Her dark eyes were locked on Willow and the redhead blinked in surprise, nodding.

"Yeah, I am." Her confusion was obvious, but she was willing to address the subject, just surprised by the suddenness.

Bay's gaze moved up to Tara. "And you're why he came back."

The blonde nodded, one hand resting on Willow's shoulder.

"When he returned, he was very angry. Much of his training had to be recovered. He lost control of the wolf again for many months."

Willow swallowed, frowning. "I'm sorry. We never…I never meant to hurt Oz. I hope he knows that."

Bay nodded. "He does. I do not mean to rehash the past, I am just…he talked of you often. I have been interested in meeting you for a long time. He loved you very much."

Willow nodded, smiling gently at her. "And I loved him very much." Her head turned to look up at Tara before shifting back to Bay. "But not anymore."

The other woman nodded. "No, not anymore."

Just then Oz came back with Kelden, sitting down in the chair next to Bay. "Was it something I said?" he asked, glancing around at the vacant chairs.

Tara shook her head with a smile. "No, they went exploring. We were just talking to Bay."

He glanced between them. "Oh? And what were you ladies discussing?"

Willow grinned at him with a wink. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He eyed them all carefully before shaking his head. "Actually, I don't think I would."

Willow laughed. "Wise man."

He shrugged. "I told you, it's all this mountain air."

Tara changed the subject for them, curious. "So, what will be involved in this training? Unlike my beautiful wife, I have no idea what to expect." Willow wrapped one arm around Tara's calf, squeezing it gently and leaning her head against her lover's knee.

Bay gave her a smile as she answered. "Well, it will involve meditation and we'll have to teach you all some chants."

"What do the chants do?" Willow asked thoughtfully, her head still resting on Tara's leg.

Bay lifted Kelden into her lap. "They're ancient prayers to the earth to accept our power and grant us protection. I have some old scrolls and papers you can look over that talk more about it if it'll make you feel better," she offered.

Willow's eyes lit up and Tara smiled at her wife's never ending eagerness for any kind of knowledge. "I think Willow might enjoy that just as a recreational activity, actually," the blonde witch said and Oz laughed.

"I'm glad to see you're still as studious as ever," Oz commented, wiggling his fingers playfully in Kelden's face.

They all laughed as the baby grabbed his father's fingers and Willow asked, "And how about you? Did you ever master that cord you were working on?"

Oz grinned proudly. "You better believe it!" His smile softened tenderly as he looked at his family. "My life is definitely complete."

* * *

The slayers all gathered back together at sundown, joining their leaders on the porch of the monastery. They all agreed to the training and Oz stood up to address them.

"You'll want to get as much rest as you can tonight. We'll start tomorrow. Physical exertion helps with the training, makes it easier for your body to accept the new control you'll be exerting. To that end, you will all help me bury the submarine tomorrow morning at first light." The girls nodded reluctantly, starting to stand up. "There will be a bell chime at dawn. I'll meet you at the sub," he called after them as Buffy nodded her approval.

Xander was laughing in his seat and the others shot disgruntled looks at him. "What? Why's everybody giving me the hairy eyeball? Giles doesn't have to do it either, and no one is giving him hateful looks."

"He's not sitting in his seat laughing about it," Willow said, pointing at the older man for emphasis.

Xander shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be enjoying it just the same as I will come tomorrow morning."

"Actually, I will be required to go through the training," Giles commented, shooting a look at Xander. "I have a small measure of magical ability, if you recall."

Dawn shot Xander a look as well. "You're not seriously going to just sit up here and watch all of your _female_ friends dig while you're sitting on your butt drinking tea, are you?"

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, smirking at him. "And you're their Watcher, Xand. Shouldn't you show them some support? _My _Watcher is doing it," she said, pointing to Giles with a wide smile.

He sighed, glancing around at the girls. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll help bury the submarine." He glared at Oz as the werewolf cracked a smile. "I'm not meditating though."


	26. Chapter 25

Willow woke up slowly the next morning as she heard someone moving around in their room. Her hands reached out automatically for Tara, but only found cool sheets. She cracked one eye open to make sure her wife wasn't still in bed with her and turned onto her back to watch Tara, leaning up on her elbows to get a better look at her as she noticed that the blonde was already dressed. "What are you doing up so early? Aren't we getting up to bury the sub today? You should have woken me up! Did I miss it?"

Tara shook her head, smiling down at her lover as she wiped sweat from her face with a towel. "No sweetie, you didn't miss it. I just decided to get up early and go running. Oz said we need to physically exert ourselves to help the new training."

Willow's eyes widened, running over the thin track pants and t-shirt Tara was wearing. "You went running before dawn in Tibet? You must be freezing!" She pulled the sheets back, patting the bed next to her. "Get in here now so I can warm you up."

Tara lifted an eyebrow, smiling crookedly. "Ooh, that sounds promising."

Willow grinned widely. "And physically exert-y," she promised.

Tara laughed. "Sweetie, I'd love to take you up on that, but I'm actually completely sweaty and gross."

Willow shook her head, patting the bed again. "I don't care if you're covered in mud and slime, you're still the most gorgeous woman in the world." She winked as Tara blushed. "And I want you here." She pointed at the space next to her on the bed. "Please?" she asked, pouting playfully. "I know you have to be getting cold if you're sweaty out in this weather." She patted the bed again. "I'm letting out the warmth here," she prompted her, lifting the blankets in invitation.

Tara kicked off her shoes and socks and grinned at Willow. "How about you get out of bed and join me for a shower? I don't think Oz would thank us for getting the monastery's sheets dirty."

Willow grinned and laughed as she climbed out of bed, moving across the room quickly to wrap her arms around Tara. "I'm pretty sure everyone in the monastery has already assumed these sheets are dirty. Especially with Buffy running around making comments about us."

"Willow!" Tara scolded her, smiling as the redhead leaned in for a kiss. "I'm really dirty, baby," Tara warned her but Willow kissed her anyway, brushing her damp hair away from her face with one hand and squeezing her tighter.

They were driven out of the shower when they ran out of hot water, coincidently the same time as they heard the bell gong that signaled the slayers to meet at the submarine. Willow pouted as she stopped pulling Tara back towards their bed and changed directions to get dressed.

"Of all the timing…I was looking forward to some post-sexy-shower snuggles," she complained as she pulled her clothes on quickly, shivering in the cool air.

Tara shook her head with a grin, pulling her lover's head closer to kiss her. "We'll have to take another shower when we get done burying the submarine. There might even be some of that mud and slime you were talking about," she reminded her, smiling crookedly.

Willow grinned. "You're right! We'll both be filthy! And we definitely shouldn't get the sheets dirty."

Tara rolled her eyes. "I learn new things about you every day. I had no idea you were so turned on by dirt."

Willow looked at her oddly, pausing in pulling her socks on. "Tara, you should know this by now, I'm turned on by _you_. Just you. You could be covered in mud, or sweaty, or fresh out of the shower, and I still want you. There's nothing about you that doesn't drive me crazy, baby." She ran her eyes over Tara's body, delighting in the blush that instantly rose in her wife's cheeks.

Tara just stared at her for a long moment, suddenly overwhelmed with love for her wife. "Willow," she breathed her name quietly. "Kiss me."

The redhead raised an eyebrow in question, a smile lingering on her lips. "But the gong? We're supposed to be helping bury the submarine."

Tara shook her head, eyes not moving off of Willow as she hooked her fingers through the belt loops on Willow's pants, pulling her closer. "Don't care," she murmured as she leaned in and kissed her wife passionately.

After several moments Tara's kisses moved to her lover's neck as she took a step forward to press Willow against the wall. Willow was breathing hard, surprised by Tara's suddenly renewed passion. "Baby, the sub? We're supposed to be working."

Tara's mouth left her skin with an audible pop and Willow felt her eyes slide closed as the thought of work vanished from her mind. "I promise I'll wear you out," Tara breathed quickly before she was kissing Willow's neck again, her arms sliding tight around Willow's waist and pulling her back to tumble into the bed.

* * *

They jogged up the hill to join the slayers, both still panting from their morning exertions, the sun already high in the sky. Buffy smirked as she saw the witches coming and leaned on her shovel without saying anything. Willow blushed and picked up a shovel, handing one to Tara. "We went running, okay?" Buffy just kept smirking at them and Willow had to look away.

The Slayer laughed, gesturing to the hole, already four feet deep and several yards long. "No problem. There's still plenty of hole left to dig." Her smirk turned into a full blown grin. "And I have no doubt at all that you two got your own exercise this morning."

Both witches were blushing now and Tara ducked her head to stare at the ground. Buffy looped an arm around each of their shoulders. "I don't mean anything teasing you guys so much," she said. "I'm actually kind of jealous."

Willow's eyebrows raised in surprise, as she grinned. "Buffy? Is there something we need to talk about? You're my best friend and all, but I have an opinion about you switching teams for my wife."

Buffy blinked in surprise, realizing she had been misunderstood. "No, oh no! I'm not jealous of you and Tara in particular, but of couples in general. And you two are the only couple I know. Tara, you're beautiful, and I really love you as a friend, but I just don't think it would work out between us." She grinned back at Willow. "Since your wife would kill me. I'm just jealous of you guys being able to be late for meetings, and meals, and hole digging because you can't drag yourselves out of bed."

"Dawn has a boyfriend," Tara chimed in without thinking, trying to get the focus off of her and Willow's sex life.

Buffy shrugged. "I'm thinking of couples that are having sex. I miss being in a couple," she said wistfully and sighed, missing the look that the two witches exchanged. "Anyway, I don't want to offend you guys with all the jokes at your expense."

"It's fine, Buffy. We know you don't mean anything by it," Willow said hurriedly, now anxious to change the subject entirely. "We should get to work. Digging," she said, pointing at the hole.

Just then Xander climbed up out of the hole, looking at the witches in surprise. "Hey, where have you guys been? We've been out here for hours. Can you not hear the bell from your room? Because if you can't, we're switching rooms."

They blushed again simultaneously and Willow jumped into the hole without responding, turning around to take Tara's shovel and help her down into the hole. They could both hear Buffy's giggles and Xander's "Oh" of realization, but turned their backs on the edge of the hole and started digging.

Dawn had heard the whole exchange and shook her head at her sister's antics. She watched the blushing witches for a moment before she spoke. "Actually, guys, I don't have a boyfriend anymore."

The smile dropped off of Buffy's face instantly and she jumped down into the hole, landing agilely next to her sister. "What happened, Dawn? Did he do something? What did he do?" she pressed, worried that her sister had hidden her break up from everyone. Willow and Tara stopped digging to join them, Xander coming up behind them. One look at Willow's face told Buffy that the witch was just as surprised as she was about this revelation.

"Dawn?" Willow spoke gently. "Are you okay?" she asked, quietly anxious. Willow glanced at her wife as they waited for Dawn's answer.

Dawn nodded quickly, reassuring them. "Oh yeah! I'm okay. I promise." Relief washed over Willow and Tara's faces and Buffy looked at them oddly.

"So, you're fine? How come you didn't tell us, Dawnie?" the Slayer asked, shooting Xander a look as he abruptly made a strange strangled noise. Willow immediately clapped her hand firmly over his mouth, jumping back with a cry as he licked her hand to make her let go.

"That's gross, Xander!" she said, annoyed, wiping her hand on her pants leg

"But you confirmed it!" he cried, looking at Dawn. "I'm right, aren't I?" he asked her, ignoring the looks the other slayers were giving him. Dawn nodded guiltily and he reached forward to rest a hand on her shoulder. "But you're okay?" She nodded and he hugged her tightly.

Buffy was staring at them as if they had all gone insane. "Okay," she said slowly. "You all know something I don't." She searched their faces, noting Dawn's blush and the others' obvious relief and abruptly figured it out. "Oh my God! Dawn!" she cried loudly, drawing more attention from the slayers. She pointed furiously around at each of her friends, landing finally on her sister. "All of you, come with me! Now!"

Giles noticed them and met Buffy's eyes, but she waved him back to work, shaking her head. She climbed out of the hole first and Xander gave Dawn a leg up, offering the same help to Willow and Tara before waving Buffy's help away and heaving himself up, lying sprawled in the dirt for a moment. The girls were all looking down at him and he sat up slowly. "I'm coming," he said, pushing himself to his feet and slinging a supportive arm over Dawn's shoulders as the witches followed Buffy down the hill. "She'll cool off," he murmured, both watching Buffy stomp away from the hole, Willow and Tara a few paces behind her.

She leaned against him with a sigh and looked up at him carefully. "Will you?"

He sighed and looked down to meet her gaze firmly. "He didn't pressure you or…?"

"Oh no! No, no way!" she quickly answered, shaking her head.

He nodded. "Then I'm not mad. As long as you're safe and happy, then so am I," he said, squeezing her gently. He eyed the women walking in front of them. "They might not be as easy to please. Will and Tara already knew though, didn't they?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I told Willow right after. Well, the next time I was home." She smirked. "I guess I told Tara by extension. I didn't really expect Willow to hide it from her though. You know how those two are about keeping secrets from each other."

He grinned, nodding, looking at his best friend affectionately. "But you wouldn't change it for the world," he commented.

Dawn surveyed the pair for a moment, shaking her head. "No way. I've never seen either of them so happy, even with all the crap we've been dealing with. And having Tara back…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "It doesn't replace Mom, no one could, but it helps some." He nodded without speaking, just squeezing her gently again. "Thanks, Xander. You help too."

Buffy finally stopped walking and the Scoobies caught up, exchanging nervous glances as the Slayer started pacing. No one said anything, waiting for Buffy to react. When she did, it was unexpectedly aimed at Willow. "You knew! This whole time, you knew and you didn't tell me!" She paused as something occurred to her. "How long?"

Willow shrugged, thinking. "I guess a few months maybe. It was before we moved to the island."

"That long?" Buffy gaped at them. "And no one told me?"

"Dawn asked me not to," Willow protested.

"I'm her sister!" Buffy objected loudly.

"We would have told you if anything was wrong. Dawn acted very maturely and waited and everything was perfectly safe. She just didn't know how to tell you, that's all," Willow said, trying to calm her down.

Buffy was staring at them, finally blinking and looking straight at her sister. "You're okay?"

Dawn rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yes, just in case you all haven't heard yet, I'm absolutely not pregnant."

Xander frowned. "So why did you guys break up? And when?"

Dawn looked at the ground, not meeting their eyes. "Not long after the doll incident. It was just too much. We were going through a lot with the slayer stuff and I couldn't tell him and he knew I was hiding stuff and it just got to be too much." She looked around at them. "And, anyway, now we're in freaking Tibet. That's a little too long distance for me."

Buffy looked stricken. "Dawn, I'm so sorry. I never…I would never…I'm sorry my being the Slayer ruined…"

Dawn hugged her sister in a rush, cutting off her apology and regrets. "Buffy, it wasn't your fault. It just…it couldn't be easy with him. Not just because of who you are, but because of who he is too. I'm all for honesty, but it's surprisingly difficult to have a relationship with someone who hears the truth of every word you say."

"How come you didn't tell us, sweetie?" Tara asked gently.

Dawn shrugged. "I wasn't trying to hide it or anything. You have all been so busy though, and it didn't seem like such a big deal compared to everything else that was going on."

Buffy frowned. "Dawn, you know that you're my priority. You could have told me."

Her sister nodded. "I know. It just didn't seem that important next to everything else." She smiled at her sister. "I'll tell you next time I break up with someone. I promise."

Buffy smiled at that. "Good. See that you do. I'm sorry we made you think we were too busy to talk to you."

Dawn shrugged. "It's alright. I know you guys are here for me anytime I need you. That's all I need to know."

"Want me to curse him before I lose my powers?" Willow asked teasingly, wiggling her fingers playfully.

Dawn laughed, shaking her head. "No, thank you, Willow. I appreciate the thought though."

Willow shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask," she said, grinning at Tara with a wink.

They rejoined the others and dove back into their work, digging throughout the day. It was nightfall before they finished covering the submarine and Oz insisted that they begin teaching the slayers how to meditate before they went to bed, using the girls' exhaustion to make it easier for them to concentrate on reaching their power.

They were all weary as they climbed back up to the hill to the monastery, everyone trying to get used to a sudden increased awareness of their power. Willow and Tara were holding hands as they came back into their room and Willow used her grip on her wife's hand to pull her around so they were face to face, hugging her gently. "How are you feeling? Are you really tired?"

Tara raised an eyebrow, smiling gently. "My arms are a little sore, but I feel fine. Why?"

"I have an idea," Willow replied with a small smile, licking the pad of one thumb and wiping dirt from Tara's forehead gently. "Wait here for me? I'll be back in a second." she asked, pointing around their room.

Tara looked intrigued but nodded. She was surprised when Willow didn't leave their room, but went into the bathroom and started water running. "You want me to wait while you take a shower?" she asked in surprise, raising her voice so Willow could hear her over the water.

The redhead came back out of the bathroom with a smile on her face. "Of course not. Don't be silly, baby." She took both of Tara's hands, pulling her into the bathroom. "You're going to take a bath. I want to pamper you."

Willow knew how much Tara carried, how passionate her wife was, and how much of her feelings she kept hidden, even from Willow herself, and she wanted to help her. With the way Tara was raised, she had become accustomed to dealing with things internally before she shared her feelings with anyone, even Willow. She knew Tara would tell her if there was anything wrong, but she knew her wife would have been stressed about seeing Oz again and then the sudden revelation about children, a topic that had not come up between them before. It wasn't that she didn't want children, or that she thought Tara didn't want children, just that it was much too dangerous to consider with the way their lives worked, that neither one had raised the issue.

Tara smiled, touched by her wife's sweetness. "Willow, you're perfect and I love you," she said, pulling the redhead into a hug. She kissed her gently, holding her lover close. The passion wasn't as frenzied as it had been earlier, but it was still there, just as it was every time they kissed. As the kiss broke Tara leaned her forehead against Willow's. "Just one thing, sweetheart. I think you meant that _we're _going to take a bath."

Willow shook her head. "It's alright. I'm not that dirty, I can just take a shower after you finish your bath. I want to spoil you."

Tara kissed her again, both hands coming up to hold Willow's face. "I appreciate that sweetie, but I want you to spoil yourself with me." She glanced down at the tub, her hands sliding down Willow's back to the hem of her shirt, pulling it up slowly. "Now let's get in before the water gets cold." Willow finally lifted her arms, letting Tara pull the shirt up and off of her.

As they climbed into bed much later, Tara pulled Willow into her arms, wrapping them tight around her. "One thing is for sure, we'll sleep good at night during this training," she commented, feeling Willow relax against her. "How's your back?" she asked. "I haven't worked on it in a while, and with the attack at the castle and everything I'm sure you've been tense."

"It feels fine actually," Willow said sincerely. "Between being here, and the meditation, and that bath, I'm feeling very relaxed." A part of her was amazed that even as she tried to take care of Tara, the blonde was as focused on taking care of her, but the rest of her recognized that that was Tara's way, the caring and concern that she showed for everyone a big part of who she was, and why Willow loved her so much.

Tara smiled happily at the answer. "Thank goodness. I don't like it when you're uncomfortable."

Willow snuggled in closer, kissing her gently. "I'm perfect right here," she promised.

"What's the plan for tomorrow? Did Oz or Buffy mention it to you?" Tara asked as they both started to fall asleep, the blankets around them providing a pocket of warmth.

Willow nodded, yawning. "We're in charge of growing the food for the monastery now. They're making all of us plow the fields and milk the cows or yaks or whatever they have out here."

Tara blinked sleepily. "He remembers we're from suburban California, right? We've never farmed before."

Willow shrugged against the pillows, her eyes dropping closed. "I guess we'll figure it out if we want to eat. I don't think they have a Doublemeat Palace here."

* * *

They settled into a routine quickly. Buffy and the slayers would plow and collect the crops from the farther fields while the Scoobies worked in the monastery's garden. Some of the girls were put to work feeding and cleaning up after the many animals that lived on the grounds of the monastery. There were yaks and horses and dogs and cats running all over the place that the slayers had to feed and water daily. Some of them were put to work rebuilding fences and moving boulders. Oz even had them dig up the submarine to scavenge parts to trade.

They would work outside all morning and join Oz for chants and meditation in the afternoons. Their evenings were devoted to practice. Since the slayers' power was constant, and not just a monthly occurrence like the werewolves' transformations, they were progressing much more quickly than Oz and the monks had anticipated.

Buffy struggled initially as she tried to revert back to being normal, having had her strength the longest was making it difficult for her to make the transition. The youngest slayers, those who'd only had their powers for a year or less, were finding the shift easier to deal with. Surprisingly, the most powerful of the slayers seemed to be losing their powers more rapidly than the younger slayers.

Most surprising of all was the how quickly Willow and Tara were losing their magic. Everyone was unconsciously watching Willow out of the corner of their eyes, waiting to see how the loss of her power was affecting her, but the powerful witch seemed to be handling it well. Xander had stuck with his word and helped with the chores, using the afternoon meditation time to strategize with Giles, Andrew, and the other Watchers. No one was willing to relax and Xander was insistent that they have some kind of defensive plan in place.

As their strength diminished, the slayers started intensifying their training with martial arts, trying to train their bodies to deal out damage without relying on their now diminished superpowers. The witches would keep up their meditations while their friends trained. Willow was doing better than anyone had expected with their efforts to hide their power, but Oz, Buffy, and Tara still kept an anxious watch over her.

They could only admit to it when Willow called them all on it a few days after they all started really feeling the effects of their practice. "I'm not going to break just because I am losing my power," she commented, abruptly stopping in front of the others as they walked down the hall towards the kitchen where Xander was cooking dinner.

The three looked at each other guiltily. "We're just worried about you, sweetheart," Tara said, looking her in the eyes to make sure her wife wasn't mad at them.

Willow nodded, smiling. "I know that. But you don't have to. I can do this."

Oz smiled, Kelden sitting on his hip. "You're doing incredibly well. You're focused and peaceful, calm. That's a big key to letting the magic get through you."

Willow glanced at Tara with a smile that was just for her before she looked back at Oz. "I'm happy here. And the girls are really doing well, right Buffy?"

The Slayer nodded. "Yeah. None of us really like feeling powerless like this, but we don't have a lot of options left, so they're making due." She grinned. "Faith is loving it, surprisingly." Just then there were two gongs outside and Buffy glanced over her shoulder. "That's my cue. I've got to go. I'll catch up to you guys in a while." She smiled at Willow. "I'm glad you're okay, Will," she said sincerely as she turned to go, squeezing her friend on the shoulder.

Oz smiled, bouncing the baby a little bit. "Actually, I have to go too, but I wanted to see if you two could watch Kelden this afternoon? Tonight is the first night of the transformation so Bay and I will be meditating. Normally one of the monks watch him for us, but he really likes you, Willow."

Willow blinked in surprise, looking at Oz seriously. "You trust me? With your son?"

He nodded. "Of course. You're great with him. Bay's noticed too." He smiled. "So is that a yes?" he asked, lifting the baby in front of his face. Kelden grinned at Willow, gurgling happily as Oz lifted him up and down, his chubby hands reaching for Willow's red hair.

She laughed as a tiny fist landed and grabbed a handful. Oz stepped closer so that her hair didn't get pulled inadvertently, and Willow slipped a hand under Kelden's bottom to take him from Oz. The werewolf stepped back, smiling at her. "Thanks Will, Tara. We appreciate it. We should be done meditating a little after dark, so I'll come find you after that." He started down the hall, turning one last time. "Oh, and there are more diapers in our room in the chest at the foot of our bed, and the bottles are in the kitchen. And Tara, those books Bay mentioned on the chants and prayers are on the dresser if you want to take them."

"Thanks, Oz," Tara said, smiling as she turned her head back to watch Willow and the baby. Willow noticed her look and bounced Kelden playfully, shaking her hair in front of him and they both laughed as he grabbed for it again. Tara felt her heart swell with pride and love as she watched her wife play happily with the baby, the force of her sudden emotions making her knees weak and she leaned against the wall, content to just watch them.

She could scarcely believe that she had gotten another chance with this woman. Even though it had been years since her sudden return to the world of the living, there were frequent moments when she would catch sight of Willow out of the corner of her eye and it would almost knock her off her feet. Watching her soul mate play with the baby was just the most current moment to have such an affect. She meant what she'd said to Willow, that them, together, was all she needed, or wanted, from her life, but there was part of her that couldn't help imagining what their child would look like, seeing Willow as a mother.

Willow glanced at her. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked, seeing Tara's smile. The blonde just shook her head wordlessly, surprised to feel tears coming up behind her eyes. "Are you okay?" Willow asked with a concerned look. "You look like you're going to cry."

Tara blinked, swallowing her tears, and nodded. "I'm perfect, love." Her voice was low and quiet, her mouth smiling peacefully.

Willow was still looking at her, uncertain, Tara's smile the only thing keeping her from pursuing the issue. "Are you sure?" she asked for confirmation and Tara nodded, laughing as Kelden pulled her wife's hair while the girl was distracted. "How about we get some of those diapers and a bottle, and we can take him back to our room?" she asked, gently disentangling the baby's fingers from her hair.

"That sounds great, baby," Tara said, putting a hand on Willow's back as they walked down the hall to Oz's room. The blonde collected the diapers and a few toys from Kelden's crib, laughing as he reached for a stuffed wolf that she held. She handed it to him, not letting it go until both of his tiny arms were wrapped around it tightly, pinning it between himself and Willow's side. She grabbed the stack of books as well, but put them on the dresser in their room and promptly put them out of her mind as she watched Willow interact with Kelden.

They played with him for a while, laughing at his silly faces and changing him as he needed it, giving him the bottle before dark. After he ate, he calmed down, falling asleep on Willow's shoulder as she walked him around. Tara was sitting on the end of their bed, watching them happily. They had turned down the lights trying to get him to fall asleep, so only the lamp next to the bed was on. Willow couldn't see Tara's face because of the light behind her, but spoke quietly, still walking Kelden around slowly.

"Baby, is everything okay? I feel like you've been kind of pensive all day," she asked, looked at Tara, her eyes trying to penetrate the shadows that covered her beloved's face.

Tara stood up quietly, moving behind Willow to wrap her arms around her waist, her chin resting on the shoulder Kelden wasn't sleeping on. Willow relaxed against her, feeling Tara's arms squeeze her gently. Willow's head leaned sideways to rest against Tara's hair. After a moment she spoke again, voice quiet. "I love being in your arms Tara, but you didn't answer my question. Is something wrong? Did I do something?"

Tara shook her head slowly against Willow's, turning her head to press a kiss against her lover's neck. "Absolutely not. You're perfect." She kissed her wife's neck again. "We're perfect," she breathed, feeling Willow tremble.

"We are," Willow said quietly. "But it has much more to do with you than me, my love." Tara nipped her neck gently in rebuke, smiling against her wife's skin as she felt her twitch. Willow took a deep breath, hesitating. "Is it more baby stuff?" she asked gently, running a hand over Kelden's sleeping back. She sighed as she felt Tara nod slowly against her neck.

Tara was surprised to feel Willow pull out of her grasp, taking a step forward and lying Kelden down carefully on the bed before turning back to her, taking both of her hands and pulling her close. Willow's green eyes studied her carefully before she spoke. "Tara, I love you. I'll do anything I have to do to make you happy."

Tara opened her mouth to speak but Willow shook her head. "Just listen to me for a second, sweetheart. Tara, you've never really had a normal life since you met me, but this, the training, what we're doing here, it could give us one. All of us. Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Giles, all of us. We could be normal. There's so much that all of us have put on hold or given up to live the life that we do, and I don't regret that, but for the first time in a very long time it's starting to look like there might be a possibility that we could get all of that back."

"I don't think that it'll happen anytime soon, we still have too much we're responsible for…" She took a deep breath. "But we will have a normal life eventually, because, even if this isn't our chance, someday we will get another one." She smiled, biting her bottom lip as she dropped down on one knee, Tara staring at her in confusion, even as her hands stabilized Willow on her way down. "Tara, my beautiful, beloved wife, will you…let me have your baby?" The blonde's jaw dropped and tears filled her eyes as she stared down at Willow. The redhead squeezed her hands gently, raising her eyebrows in question after Tara didn't respond, apparently frozen.

"Willow, oh my God," she breathed, staring down at her. "You…you want to have kids?"

Willow nodded. "If it's what you want. You're my wife Tara, the other half of my soul. I just want to make you happy."

Tara pulled her up and into a tight hug, burying her face in Willow's neck without speaking, overcome with emotion. Willow just held onto her, running a soothing hand down her back. Finally Tara pulled back to look at her, Willow's eyes running over her face carefully to make sure she wasn't upset. Tara's eyes were swimming with tears and she swallowed thickly.

"You do make me happy. I'm so in love with you, Willow," she breathed, her voice heavy, one hand coming up to trace her lover's face. "The fact that you asked me that, that you would do something like that for me…" Willow smiled at her and Tara felt her tears break and spill down her cheeks. "Someday, when we've got a normal life together I would love to have a child with you, Willow."

The redhead's smile grew and she leaned in for a gentle kiss, her thumbs wiping the tears from her wife's cheeks. "Perfect," she said quietly as they pulled back. "Now, no tears. And no more pensive face, okay?" she requested, leaning their foreheads together. Tara nodded, smiling. Willow pulled back as Tara giggled. "There's my girl," she commented with a grin. "What's funny, cutie?" she asked, pecking Tara on the tip of her nose.

"You didn't even get down on one knee when you proposed," she answered, laughing quietly.

Willow gasped, pulling back. "I was too on my knees!" she said indignantly. Tara arched an eyebrow and Willow shrugged, pantomiming her position with her hands. "I was just on my knees on top of a bed. And it was your fault. You, with your sweetness and your 'I don't need anything from you, no don't give me my surprise.' I was going to do it right, you just…" She trailed off, grinning happily. "I've never been able to resist you."

Tara smiled back at her, pulling her in close. "Thank God for that," she breathed as she leaned in for a kiss.

"Oh, I do," Willow said in between kisses, her arms tight around Tara.

They separated abruptly as someone cleared their throat from the doorway. Both witches were blushing brightly as Buffy came in from the hallway. "You guys were aware that your door is wide open, right?" She grinned, faking being scandalized. "And this is a monastery…no one here has the s-e-x," she said in a whisper, spelling out the last word.

Willow rolled her eyes. "We were just kissing, Buffy. It's not like we're going to do anything with the door open." She gestured at the bed. "And we're babysitting."

Buffy stepped closer, seeing Kelden and glanced at Willow, eyebrows raised. "It looked like you guys were heading for baby making actually, but what would I know about it?"

Both witches blushed brighter, eyes wide. Willow shook her head, laughing nervously. "Buffy, you must be really missing being in a couple if you're seeking us out to make comments about it," she said, resting a sympathetic hand on her friend's shoulder.

Buffy nodded, sighing. "Yeah, Will I really am." She rolled her eyes. "And how pathetic does that make me?"

Willow shook her head. "Not pathetic, it's just harder for you. You're the Slayer and you've got a lot of people depending on you. You'll find someone, Buffy." She hugged her friend, trying to be supportive. "And everybody goes through droughts."

The Slayer snorted in disbelief. "I'm not believing that from the girl who can't keep her hands off her wife, even when they're supposed to be babysitting."

Willow shrugged, unrepentant. "I have a gorgeous wife that I'm madly in love with, stuff happens. And he's asleep. It's not like he was watching. And we definitely wouldn't have gone any further with a baby in here."

Buffy smiled pensively with a sigh, her head dropping to rest on Willow's shoulder as she looked down at the sleeping child. "How did life get so complicated, Will? What happened to our biggest worry being Snyder?"

Willow met Tara's eyes over Buffy's head and sighed. "I don't know, Buffy. I wish I did."

"Now we're hiding from some guy who's out to destroy magic, and we're doing his work for him to save ourselves, and Dawn's growing up too fast, and our friends are having kids." She lifted her head, sighing. "And I don't know where I fit anymore. The slayer from the future told you that she was the first one in decades. Does that mean that we actually manage to hide ourselves, or is Twilight going to kill us all? And, if we do hide, what does that mean for the world now that vampires are out there in the mainstream?"

Willow shook her head. "We can only do what we can do, Buffy. And you're not alone in this. We're all right beside you, whatever happens," the redhead assured her.

Just then Oz appeared in the doorway. "How are you ladies tonight?" he asked kindly, coming in and leaning over to check on his son.

"We're fine," Tara said. "He had his bottle about an hour ago and he's been sleeping for about thirty minutes."

Oz nodded, picking him up gently, the stuffed animal clenched in the boy's sleeping hand. "Thanks for watching him. I really appreciate it." Kelden moved in his sleep against his father's shoulder and Oz smiled. "I should get him to bed. I'll see you all in the morning."

The girls all stared at each other as he left, Buffy finally taking a deep breath and straightening up. "Thanks for the pep talk. I think I'm going to hit the hay. Lots to do tomorrow." She smiled. "Xander has some new defensive plan he wants to go over with me."

The witches waved as she left and Tara dropped to sit on their bed, looking up at Willow. "Wow, Buffy really needs to vent more often. It's a miracle her head doesn't pop off."

Willow nodded, glancing out the door in the direction Buffy had gone. "Think I should follow her?"

Tara sighed, shaking her head. "Not tonight. We can keep an eye on her though, make sure she's doing okay."

Willow nodded, shutting their door. "That's a good idea, sweetie." She yawned, turning to look at Tara. "And are you okay?"

Tara looked at her carefully, smiling crookedly. "You mean about the baby thing?" Willow smiled back, nodding as she walked to the bed, Tara's legs opening to let her stand in between them. "You'll be a wonderful mother, Willow. And it means so much to me that you're willing to do that for me."

The redhead nodded. "Only for you, Tara. Anything for you." Her voice was barely a whisper, one hand coming up to touch the blonde's face gently. "Everything for you. Everything you want."

Tara smiled up at her, her voice soft as she spoke. "Then your work is done, my love. All I want is you."

"You already have me," Willow said quietly, leaning down for a kiss. Tara nodded, leaning herself back on the bed on her elbows slowly, keeping their lips separated as Willow leaned with her. Her legs curled around Willow's and the redhead planted a hand on either side of Tara's head as the blonde finally was lying flat on her back on the bed with Willow on top of her, knees on the edge of the mattress. "Can I please kiss you now?" Willow asked softly, smiling. Tara nodded, smiling back as she lifted her head to meet Willow's mouth, kissing her passionately.


	27. Chapter 26

It was one morning a few weeks later when Buffy climbed up the hill to get something to drink for the slayers. Oz was making them do everything he could think of by hand to maximize the amount of physical labor they were doing so she had to stand at the pump and work the crank for several seconds before water came out of the spout. She pushed a bucket underneath the stream of water after she leaned over to catch some in her mouth. When she straightened up she accidentally bumped into Tara, who was standing behind her with her own bucket.

"Sorry about that, Tara," she apologized. "I've already got the pump working if you want to just switch the buckets, I'll fill yours up too."

Tara nodded. "Thanks, Buffy. How's it going down there?" she asked, looking down at the lower fields where some of the slayers were working.

The Slayer shrugged. "We're getting slower every day. Which is the point, I guess. I didn't expect it to happen so fast, but it's working so I guess we can't complain." She looked over to the garden where Giles, Xander, Dawn, and Willow were working. "And how are you doing up here?"

"Oh, we're fine. We're almost done for the morning," Tara replied as she switched out the buckets.

Buffy hesitated for a second before she asked her next question. "And how's Willow dealing with all this? She's okay, right? I mean, I know we talked to her when we first started, but it's been a while and I wanted to see how she's doing."

Tara looked at her, slightly surprised. "She's doing fine. It's been a transition, that's for sure, but Willow can do it. She's very strong, even without her powers."

Buffy nodded, watching her friends work. "I know. I just…I don't want her to resent me for making her give it up. She's my best friend, Tara."

The blonde witch smiled gently. "I know that Buffy, and so does Will. She doesn't resent you. You know she'll do anything she has to do to help."

The Slayer nodded again, still watching her friends before turning to look Tara in the eyes. "And how about you? Any resentment there?"

Tara frowned in confusion. "Why would there be?"

"How's your connection to Willow?" Buffy asked simply.

Tara blinked. "Oh. It takes a lot more concentration than it used to, but it's still there, barely. We've been trying not to use it, we're not sure if it can be tracked or not. Everything else is gone though."

Buffy grimaced. "I'm so sorry, Tara. I know you were worried about losing it."

The blonde witch let out a deep breath. "It's alright. It doesn't change anything between me and Willow. We're married and we love each other, those two things will never change." She looked across the field at her wife, a smile coming to her face. "It's just been another thing to get used to."

Buffy followed her gaze to look back at their friends. "You know, you guys don't have to stay here. If you left, you could stop the meditation and get your powers back." Her voice was tentative. She didn't want the witches to leave, but she wanted them to know that she would understand if they wanted their magical lives back.

Tara's head whipped around to stare at the Slayer, her mouth dropping open immediately. "Buffy, no! We'd never leave you all to fight Twilight alone."

Buffy sighed, facing Tara. "But we're not fighting Twilight. We're hiding from Twilight."

"What makes you so sure that they really weren't tracking mine and Will's magic? If we left they could just come after us," Tara suggested. "It could be us that are making everyone hide like this."

"Willow said they were tracking the slayer power. I'm sure you two were part of it, but he's out to end the slayers," Buffy objected.

"Actually, the phrase 'death of magic' comes to mind, Buffy," Tara countered immediately, crossing her arms.

They both jumped in surprise as cold water rushed over their feet and they realized that the pump was still churning water into the full bucket. Tara pulled the bucket out of the way of the water and Buffy stopped the crank, water still coming out of the pipe to splash into the dirt.

"Oops," Buffy said sheepishly. She kicked her feet in a vain attempt to get some of the cold water out of her shoes. "Sorry again, Tara."

The witch shrugged, smiling. "It's alright." She looked at Buffy seriously, her smile fading. "You don't really want us to leave, do you?"

Buffy shook her head, sighing. "No, I just feel bad. You guys could be off somewhere having normal lives instead of living at a work camp monastery in Tibet. I just don't want you to miss out on that because of me."

"Buffy, we're lesbian witches, how normal do you think our lives would have been?" Tara asked rhetorically, smirking. "You know Willow and I would never leave you alone to deal with this. We're in it together. You may be the Slayer, but we're the Scoobies and you're stuck with us," she said firmly.

Buffy smiled in relief. "Thanks, Tara. I didn't mean to seem like I was trying to pick a fight, I just…"

She was interrupted by Xander as he came up the hill with Willow and Dawn. "Fight? You two are going to fight? Ooh and there's mud." He grinned excitedly, pushing Dawn and Willow back behind him with both arms out to the sides. "Give them some room."

All four girls gave him poisonous looks and he jumped as Willow slugged him in the arm. "Ow! That really hurt! When did you get so strong, Will?"

She gestured around them, exasperated. "We've been doing manual labor for six hours a day for the last month Xander. What did you think was going to happen?" She looked anxiously at her wife and best friend. "You guys weren't really fighting, right?"

Tara quickly took Willow's hand, squeezing it gently. "No sweetie, we were just talking."

The redhead looked carefully at both of them. "Everything is okay, isn't it? You guys would tell me if something was wrong, right?"

Tara wrapped an arm around her wife, squeezing her gently. "Of course we would, Will." She looked at the Slayer with a smile and Buffy grinned sheepishly at them.

"It was my fault, Willow. I was telling Tara that I wouldn't blame you guys if you wanted to leave," Buffy explained.

Willow frowned, confused. "Leave? Who's leaving?" She looked at Tara. "Not me and Tara. Xander? Dawn?" They both shook their heads, everyone looking at Buffy.

The Slayer shifted her weight between her feet uncomfortably. "I was just saying that Willow and Tara could have a normal life and get their powers back if they just left here. Twilight is tracking the slayers. None of you are slayers. There's no reason for all of you to be in danger. You could all walk away," she said, meeting her friend's gazes and taking a deep breath. "Tara set me straight though," she finished before any of the others could start arguing with her.

Xander crossed his arms over his chest. "Thank you Tara," he said, staring at Buffy in disbelief.

She put both hands up in defense. "I know, I know. It was a stupid idea."

"As long as you realize that," Dawn commented, coming over to get some water out of the bucket and shooting a glare at her sister.

Buffy shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. Forget I said anything."

"Oh, we will," Dawn declared, pointing a warning finger at her sister.

"Forgive me for caring," she said, smiling at them, silently relieved that they were all sticking with her. "Oh, and while you're all here, Andrew has some theory that we have a spy here somewhere," she gestured to encompass the monastery. "So he wants to meet with us about it tomorrow. Is that alright with you? I think he might have traded someone for another big board, so be prepared for that," she warned them, smirking.

They nodded, everyone looking over at Oz as he came out of the monastery, sniffing the air experimentally.

"Do you still have wolfy senses when you're not actually turning into a werewolf anymore?" Xander asked, sniffing himself cautiously.

Oz nodded. "Yeah, not at good as they used to be, but they're still there. This isn't a wolf thing though." He pointed at the clouds over the mountains in the distance. "It smells like we're going to get some snow tonight." He looked at Tara. "I wouldn't recommend going running in the morning," he suggested kindly. The blonde witch smiled and nodded.

They all leaned their heads back to watch as the winds brought the fluffy clouds closer to them. The temperature dropped throughout the day as the slayers worked through the afternoon to prepare their fields for the imminent snow, the cold finally dipping below freezing after dark. Everyone bundled up in their beds, dreading waking up to their work the next morning.

* * *

Willow was woken up before dawn as she felt Tara climbing back into their bed. She turned over to face her lover, surprised to feel that Tara's forehead was warm as she leaned over to press a kiss there. "Baby, you didn't go running did you? Oz said…" She was interrupted as Tara groaned, turning away from her. She quickly clicked on the light at the bedside, suddenly worried, and fought the instinct to reach out to Tara through their magical connection. She leaned over her wife, calling to her softly, "Tara, sweetie, what is it?"

Tara's head turned to look at her and her eyes closed in the sudden light. Willow reached one hand back to shove the lampshade so that the light was out of her lover's eyes. Tara's eyes opened slowly, finding Willow's worried face above her. "I think I'm sick, Will," Tara said, her voice hoarse. Her skin was flushed and Willow put a hand on her forehead gently, immediately feeling the heat radiating from her wife's skin.

"You have a fever, baby. Are you achy? Sore throat? Runny nose? Coughing? Have you thrown up? Are you dizzy?" The questions were babbled as Willow climbed out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt. Tara just blinked at her, reaching a hand out to her as Willow came around the bed to Tara's side and dropped to her knees next to the bed. "I'm going to go see if Oz has a thermometer and some medicine." She frowned thoughtfully. "Do they have real medicine out here, or do you think they'll give me some roots or berries for you to chew?"

Tara just shook her head, smiling gently. "Bark from the Willow tree is used to make painkillers," she commented, and Willow smiled back at her.

"Are you in pain?" Willow smirked, the random fact breaking her out of her frenzy. "Or are you delirious?" she asked teasingly.

Tara considered the series of questions for a moment before she answered. "Yes achy, yes sore throat, no runny nose, yes coughing, no throw up, a little dizzy, and my head is fuzzy but no pain or delirium," she recited the answers slowly with Willow looking more sympathetic at each symptom and brushing damp hair back from her face gently. Tara pressed lightly against her wife's touch. "You shouldn't get too close, I don't want you to get sick."

"We're sleeping in the same bed, Tara," Willow commented, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

The blonde nodded, leaning into her touch again. "I know, but I don't want you to get sick, so no kissing and you sleep where I can't breath on you."

Willow's jaw dropped, horrified. "What? Why?"

Tara's eyebrows raised. "Um, because I'm sick and I don't want you to get it."

"But…no kisses? And no snuggles? And no kisses? Tara, do you realize how long it's been since I went a day with no Tara-kisses? I'll be the world's best nurse baby, but I can't give up my kisses," she pleaded.

Tara shook her head firmly. "Willow, no." She looked up at her seriously. "I feel awful and I don't want you to get it. I'm sure Xander would be more than happy to watch over me if you can't…"

She was interrupted by Willow. "Xander!" Her voice was a squeak.

"I know he won't try to kiss me," Tara said.

Willow shook her head rapidly. "Not if he knows what's good for him," she said, possessively squeezing one of Tara's hands.

Tara laughed, curling onto her side as the laugh triggered a fit of coughing. Willow rubbed her back soothingly and cheatingly pressed a kiss to her lover's temple.

"I felt that," Tara wheezed as she tried to catch her breath, still curled up.

Willow defiantly pressed another kiss to her cheek. "I'm going to go wake someone up and find you some medicine. You just try and rest," she said as she stood up and moved toward their door. She stopped when she heard Tara's voice.

"Thank you, Will."

She turned to look back at her wife, a loving smile on her face. "Of course, sweetheart. You rest now. I love you."

Tara's response was drowned out by another fit of painful sounding coughs and Willow hurried down the hall to where Oz and Bay's room was. She knocked quietly, aware of the early hour and trying not to wake Kelden. Oz answered after a minute, unaccountably shirtless in the freezing weather. He stepped back from the door in surprise when he saw Willow.

"Will, what's wrong?" he asked and she could see Bay was awake as well, making their bed in a tank top and shorts. Kelden was still asleep, but she could see his small body moving in the crib.

"Tara, she's sick. It looks like the flu. Do you guys have any medicine and a thermometer? I had some back in Scotland, but then we had to smash the castle and we're here now obviously," she rambled for a moment before catching the amused smile on Oz's face.

"Yeah, I think we've got something," he assured her, looking over his shoulder to his wife. "Bay, Tara's sick. Could you get Willow the medicine and the thermometer?"

She nodded, smiling to Willow. "I'll get it."

The redhead shivered in the hall as a gust of cold air blew down the passage. "How can either of you dress like that here?" she asked, tucking her own hands under her arms to keep them warm. "You know it's freezing, right? There's actual snow on the ground."

He shrugged laconically. "You'd be surprised what your body can get used to. I hardly notice the cold anymore." He took Bay's hand as his wife joined him at the door and handed a few bottles over to Willow. "The wolf helps with the cold too. Our blood runs just a little hotter than yours."

"That's lucky," she commented, tucking bottles into the pockets on her sweatshirt. "Sorry to get you guys up so early, but thanks so much for this."

"No problem," Bay assured her. "Just be sure to follow the instructions on each bottle. Some of those will make her fall asleep. And some of them need to be taken with food."

Oz smiled. "Willow's good about stuff like that. Tara's in good hands. Tell her we said to get better soon."

The redhead grinned at him, nodding. "Thanks again," she said as she turned to go back to her room. The lamp was still on when she came in and Tara was lying on top of their blankets, sweating despite the cool air. She moved to the bed quickly, but stayed quiet, not wanting to wake her wife up if she had managed to fall asleep. Tara's eyes blinked open as Willow put the medicine on the nightstand, trying to read the labels in the dim light.

"Hey you," Willow said tenderly. "How are you feeling? Any worse?" Tara shook her head pitifully and Willow brushed her hair back with one hand, feeling the sweat the fever was causing on Tara's skin. "Well, Bay gave me some medicine and I'm going to take care of you." She finished reading the dosing directions for each medicine and selected two. "It's only four in the morning so I can give you something that will make you sleepy and keep you from coughing, or I can give you one that will make you less achy and still keep you from coughing. Which would you rather take?"

"The daytime one," Tara said, grimacing at her scratchy voice.

Willow raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "You're not thinking that you're going to be out of this bed at all today, are you?" She pulled the thermometer out of a pocket and pulled the cover off before she put it up to her lover's mouth. "Open up," she directed. Tara's mouth opened and closed around the tip of the thermometer. "It's under your tongue, right?" Willow asked as she pressed the button to start it. Tara smiled around the thermometer at her wife's detail-oriented mind and nodded.

Willow went into the bathroom to get her a cup of water while Tara crossed her eyes to try and read the escalating numbers on the thermometer. It beeped just as Willow got back to the bed and she took it as Tara opened her mouth. "What does it say?" she asked hoarsely.

"It says that you're not moving a muscle all day. Your fever is at 103, baby," Willow said, pressing a cool hand against her forehead as she knelt next to the bed. Tara moaned at the feel of something cold against her overheated skin and reached up to press Willow's hand more firmly against her head.

"That feels so good. Give me your other hand," she requested, her eyes sliding closed as she reached out blindly for her wife's free hand.

Willow smiled and bypassed Tara's hand to run the back of her other hand over Tara's neck. "How's that?"

"That feels amazing," Tara groaned. "I've been burning up."

Willow frowned. "You should have woken me up when you started feeling bad. And speaking of that, why did you get out bed at all if you were feeling so awful?"

"I didn't want to wake you up. I was coughing and hot so I went outside," Tara answered, eyes still closed.

"Tara!" Willow exclaimed and the blonde's blue eyes popped open. "You're _supposed _to wake me up. I could have gotten you medicine earlier. I would have been happy to take care of you."

Tara smiled up at her. "I know, sweetie. I just hate waking you up. You're too cute when you're sleeping. You make these little faces when you're dreaming good dreams. And sometimes you say my name and you sound so happy and I wouldn't wake you for anything in the world."

Willow leaned closer to her, unconsciously angling her head for a kiss, surprised when Tara moved her head back, lips firmly closed. The redhead dropped her head to the sheets in frustration. "Tara, you can't say stuff like that to me and then expect me to abide by your insane no-smooches rule." She tilted her head up to look at Tara pleadingly. "I need to kiss you right now," she said earnestly, lifting one eyebrow. "Are you saying that you _don't_ want to kiss me?"

Tara shook her head, keeping her mouth closed tightly. "So you _do _want to kiss me?" Willow asked. Tara nodded, and Willow could see the resolve wavering in her lover's eyes. "Well, if you want to kiss me, and I want to kiss you, I don't see why we're not kissing already," she said, lifting her head slowly.

Tara shook her head again, sliding away from her quickly. "Willow, no. I don't want you to get sick, baby. Please?" Her desperation was obvious in her voice and Willow dropped her head back down to the bed sheets. Tara's point was enforced by her breaking out into coughs, the bed shaking with the force of her coughing.

Willow sat up quickly, shaking several pills out of a bottle and picking up the cup of water. She handed the pills to Tara as she calmed down and gave her the water glass as she moved her hands to help her wife sit up. The blonde handed the glass back as she swallowed the pills, meeting Willow's sympathetic gaze.

"Are you okay? That cough sounds awful," Willow said, rubbing Tara's back soothingly as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm okay. It hurts my throat though," she winced as she spoke, one hand coming up to her throat.

Willow stood up quickly. "I'll go get you some more water." She pointed down at the bed. "You lay back down and get comfortable." She got her wife a fresh glass of water and came back to sit on the edge of the bed, smiling as Tara scooted closer to her, the blonde's stomach pressing against her back and Tara's arms curling around her waist and pulling her in tighter. Tara's head lifted and Willow carefully tilted the cup so she could drink. She leaned forward to put it back on the table, feeling Tara's arm resisting the move, pulling her back.

"Stay with me?" Tara murmured, nuzzling her head into her pillow, her arms hugging Willow close.

The redhead ran a hand through her lover's blonde hair, smiling down at her. "Of course, sweetie." She laughed quietly as Tara yawned. "Sleepy?"

Tara nodded. "You didn't give me the sleepy medicine, did you?"

"No, baby. It's more likely the fact that you were outside half the night coughing," Willow said, fingers still moving through her wife's hair. Tara's blue eyes dropped closed and Willow leaned over to press a kiss against her temple. "Go to sleep, my love. I'll be here."

Tara's head turned slightly to look up at her. "Until I fall asleep?"

She nodded, smiling tenderly. "And every time you wake up," she said, pressing another kiss against her lover's forehead, feeling the warmth of her wife's fever. "Now sleep," she prompted her, standing up.

Tara whimpered as her wife left her arms, pouting up at her. "I'm just going to get back in bed. I'm not going anywhere," Willow promised, squeezing her hand before she moved around the bed to climb in on the other side, clicking off the lamp as she pulled the covers up over herself. She wrapped her arms around Tara, pressing herself against her wife's back. "Is this okay?" she asked quietly, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. "I'm not going to make you too warm, am I?" she asked, loosening her arms.

Tara's hands were on her arms immediately, pulling them tighter around herself. "Stay," she murmured, near sleep. Willow squeezed her gently, feeling her breathing steady and slow and let the gentle rhythm lull her to sleep.

She woke up with light shining her in her eyes, the reflection of the sun on the snow making everything seem brighter. She gently dislodged herself from Tara, moving quietly to close the curtain. The blonde was still fast asleep so Willow changed clothes quietly into something warm and put Tara's walkie on the nightstand, and making sure hers was in her pocket in case her wife woke up before she got back. It was only nine in the morning, but soup would be best for Tara, in spite of not being typical breakfast fare. She went quickly to the kitchen and made herself a simple sandwich and fixed a bowl of soup for Tara. Her wife was stirring when she came back into their room, but didn't open her eyes until she reached back for Willow and realized that she was alone in bed.

Willow was smiling as she watched Tara turn over to look for her, noticing her by the door. "You left me," Tara accused, pouting.

Willow lifted the warm bowl in evidence. "I didn't want to! I'm being a good nurse. Even if I'm getting no smooches for it," she muttered the last bit and carried the bowl to the bed. Tara was still pouting and Willow poked at her protruding lip playfully with one finger. "What's that for? I brought you soup," she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Tara moved to sit up and Willow hastily put the bowl down to helpfully pull pillows up against the headboard for her wife to lean on.

"I'm not trying to be mean," Tara said quietly, barely loud enough for Willow to hear her. "I don't want you to get sick." She looked at Willow closely, unconsciously licking her lips. "I want kiss you too, Will," she said at normal volume as she blinked, tearing her eyes off of her wife's mouth.

Willow nodded, reaching a hand to cup Tara's face, the blonde immediately leaning into her touch. "Oh, sweetie, I know that. I'm sorry I'm so grumpy about it. You don't know what you've got until it's gone, right? But you'll be better soon and we'll just have to make up for lost time," she suggested, lifting her eyebrows playfully.

Tara smiled happily at her. "That sounds perfect to me, baby."

"It's a date then," Willow promised, smiling goofily. She remembered the soup and picked it up, handing it carefully to Tara. "It's still warm."

Tara looked at it and back at Willow as she picked up the spoon. "You got something for yourself to eat too, right? Because I can wait for you to go get something."

Willow shook her head affectionately. "Yes, ma'am. I've got a sandwich," she said, lifting it into view. "And I'm your nurse, what's with you trying to steal my protective gig?"

Tara smiled. "I'm not stealing your nursing gig," she said. "But we take care of each other, remember?"

Willow nodded. "Well you don't need to worry, Tara. I've got something to eat." She lifted a bottle from the table. "And you need another dose of medicine. You want another non-sleeping one?"

Tara nodded, smirking. "Because that worked so well last time."

"You weren't coughing," Willow pointed out, handing over the pills and getting another glass of water. "And you're not already sleepy this time."

"But you're still not going to let me out of bed, are you?" Tara asked, smirking. Willow just shook her head, smiling. "Figured as much."

Willow shrugged. "You're in no condition to be outside in the snow working." She stuck her tongue out defiantly. "And if I'm getting my smooches cut off because you don't want me to get sick, I'm not going to let you go out and get other people sick. If you're giving it to anyone, I'm going to get it," she declared.

Tara arched an eyebrow, smirking at her. "I'd think that would go without saying, lover. Are you accusing me of something here?"

Willow realized the way her statement sounded and blushed brightly. "It had better go without saying," she muttered as Tara laughed which immediately triggered another coughing fit.

As she stopped coughing Willow took the bowl from her and leaned forward to press a hand to her forehead. "You're burning up again," she said, picking up the thermometer from the table and putting it up to her wife's lips.

Tara held it under her tongue willingly, but tried to speak around it until Willow shushed her. "It won't read right if you keep opening your mouth, baby."

The blonde waited until it beeped and Willow took it out before she tried to speak again. "I think laughing makes me cough."

Willow nodded, smiling sadly. "I think you're right, sweetie. So now, not only do I not get kisses, I don't get to hear your beautiful laugh. This illness sucks."

"It doesn't sound beautiful now," Tara said, her voice scratchy and she coughed again.

Willow frowned at her. "Everything about you is beautiful, baby. Some flu doesn't change that."

Tara rolled her eyes and Willow handed her the soup bowl back. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to hear me sing right now," she said seriously.

Willow blinked, tilting her head back and scowling up at the ceiling. "Why couldn't you take me? Why'd she get sick? She's the pretty, kissing, singing one. You should have made me sick!" she demanded loudly and Tara watched her, sipping her soup.

"Who you talking to there, Will?" she asked, amused.

She was still scowling when she looked back at her wife, the expression shifting into a smile. "Whatever idiot got you sick instead of me."

"I don't think anyone got me sick, I'm pretty sure it was just the weather or something. We're not really used to sub-freezing temperatures in California. And I did spend most of yesterday in wet socks and shoes," Tara commented, eating a vegetable out of her soup. "This soup is delicious, sweetie."

Willow grinned. "That's how you know I didn't make it. I think Xander did."

"I'll have to make sure I tell him thanks," Tara said, looking up from her meal as someone knocked on their door.

Willow pushed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and, ignoring Tara's exasperated look, went to open the door with her mouth full. She swallowed it before she opened the door, not surprised to see Buffy, Xander, and Dawn on the other side. They were all flushed from the cold and Xander had snow melting in his hair.

"We heard someone's a sick-y work skipper," Xander said with a grin, lifting a hand to wave at Tara. She waved back, shaking her head at him in amusement.

"Thanks for my soup. It's wonderful," she called, lifting her bowl.

He shrugged, still grinning. "Yeah, no problem. I'm glad I made it right before you got sick."

Buffy and Dawn were shivering and both pushed into the room, not waiting for Willow to get out of their way.

"You guy really shouldn't come in here. I'm sick," Tara warned them.

"Why do you think we're here?" Dawn asked incredulously. "We came to check on you."

"Hey! I'm taking good care of her," Willow declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tara nodded, smiling at her wife. "She really is."

Buffy smirked. "I don't think we need to hear about that."

"It's not like that you perve. She won't even let me kiss her!" Willow protested.

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and she applauded Tara. "I didn't think I'd ever see anything that could make you cut her off."

"I didn't 'cut her off!'" Tara said quickly. "I don't want her to get sick! And I don't want to get any of you sick either."

"Oh, we won't kiss you Tara. Don't worry," Buffy said, grinning at Willow. "Your wife is standing right there."

Tara opened her mouth to respond, but was wracked with another bout of coughs. Buffy looked sheepish and Willow hurried to refill her water glass, handing it to her as she stopped coughing.

"Sorry, Tara," the Slayer apologized. "I didn't mean to make you cough."

The witch shook her head. "It's not your fault." Willow sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing her lover's hand with her own, smiling as Tara linked their fingers. "Well, if you're not scared off by the coughing, you might as well come in and sit down," Tara offered, sighing.

They did so and Willow pouted as Dawn climbed up onto the bed next to Tara. The blonde witch squeezed her hand, lifting them to press a kiss to the back of Willow's hand. Sighing again, she opened her arm on the side Dawn wasn't on and Willow grinned happily as she crawled up and felt Tara's arm wrap around her.

As a concession to Tara's fear of getting her sick, she was careful to keep her head on Tara's shoulder, balancing precariously on her side on the edge of the bed. "So how's the snow? Is anyone actually doing any work out there, or is it all snow-slayers and icy battles?" Willow asked, resting one hand on Tara's stomach to help keep her balance.

Xander and Buffy exchanged glances and grins. "I totally had you!" he exclaimed, pointing at her dramatically.

"Whatever! You're the one with snow in your hair," Buffy denied. She grinned at the witches. "Xander thought he could ambush us while we were working. We completely destroyed him though!"

"You are the slayers," Tara commented wryly.

There was another knock on the door and it opened without waiting for acknowledgement, Faith poking her head in. There was snow dropping from her hair and she grinned at them. "I heard we were having a meeting. In here?" she asked as she came in, shaking the snow out of her hair.

Willow glanced at Tara and opened her mouth to protest, but Tara shook her head. "Don't worry about it, baby. I'll be alright." She smiled. "I don't want to miss the meeting, and since you won't let me get out of bed, we might as well have it in here." Willow sighed, finally nodding.

"Come on in, Faith. Have you seen Giles?" Buffy asked, scooting over to give Faith a seat on the bed.

The dark-haired Slayer laughed. "Oh yeah. He's helping Andrew with the board. Kennedy and Satsu should be here in a second. They…got a little distracted." There was a devilish grin on her face and the others looked at each other in confusion.

Just then the witches' bedroom door crashed open as someone collided with it, a tangle of limbs falling to the ground as they lost their support. Kennedy was on her back, Satsu on top of her. Kennedy's head tilted back and surveyed the stunned Scoobies upside down. "Hey, guys."

Faith was still grinning. "I might not have shut the door all the way. Sorry, Ken." The look on her face was nothing resembling apologetic, however.

Satsu was blushing bright red, trying to avoid looking at anyone. She stood up in a hurry as she realized she was still on top of Kennedy, brushing her hands anxiously across her pants legs. Kennedy stood up more slowly, looking at the group on the bed cautiously. She met Willow's gaze first, the redheaded witch's jaw was hanging open, but she was smiling happily. Xander and Dawn were both laughing and Buffy dropped her head into a hand.

"I should have known," she said, looking up at them and glancing back at Willow and Tara. "There must be something in the water for lesbians here, none of you can keep your hands off each other." All four girls blushed brightly, neither pair looking at each other. The Slayer grinned. "Hey, you guys deserve it. I'm happy for you. Really."

Satsu finally looked at her, meeting her eyes before looking back at Kennedy with a smile. The slayer grinned at her, sliding an arm around her waist. "You okay with this?" she asked, lowering her voice. Satsu bit her lip, smiling and finally nodding. Kennedy leaned in and kissed her gently, nudging their noses together as they pulled away.

"That's a monster hickey your sporting there, Satsu," Faith commented wickedly, kicking her feet against the footboard of the bed. "Nice work, Kennedy." Both girls blushed brightly, ducking their heads and Buffy elbowed Faith, laughing even as she shook her head in reproof.

"Too bad Willow and Tara can't conjure up something for you to hide it with," Xander said, laughing.

Willow shook her head and spoke without thinking. "Oh, I got lots of practice at those freshman year! Tara was lucky though, she could just wear her hair down." Everyone turned to look at her and her eyes shot wide open as she realized what she'd said. "Um…Kennedy and Satsu are together. Yay! Let's go back to that," she said hopefully. "Please?"

Buffy grinned at her best friend's discomfort. "Is that why you grew your hair out?" she asked and Faith smirked as the redhead and blonde exchanged nervous glances.

"No…" Willow said slowly and unconvincingly, glancing around the room and not meeting anyone's eyes.

Kennedy took sympathy on the pair and cleared her throat, looking back at the group on the bed. "We're sort of still figuring all this out. It's really new, but it's important to both of us that everyone is cool. So, we're all good?" she asked generally.

Willow nodded, smiling gratefully. "We're great, Kennedy." She looked at Tara carefully as Kennedy nodded and pulled Satsu with her to lean against the foot of the bed. "You're okay, right?" she whispered, leaning her head in close.

Tara smiled at her, amused. "Of course I am, baby. Kennedy and Satsu both deserve to be as happy as we are," she whispered back, nudging the tip of her nose against Willow's ear, unable to resist pulling her lover's earlobe in between her teeth, her self-imposed kissing ban getting to her. Willow squeaked loudly and everyone turned to look at them again, the redhead blushing brightly as her eyes shot open, unaware that they'd slid closed at the first syllable of Tara's voice in her ear.

She was saved by Giles' arrival, pointing at him in an effort to distract her friends. He was pulling Andrew's big board, which was already halfway covered in drawing and scribbles, arrows connecting things all over. They all looked it over in silence as Andrew came in, holding a clipboard with a dry erase marker stuck behind his ear. A cat wandered in behind him but no one was surprised, they were all over the monastery. It jumped up onto the bed, walking up in between Willow and Tara, sitting down and primly cleaning itself, fur damp with snow.

Willow petted it absently for a moment as she studied the drawings on the board, sitting up in surprise and catching herself as she started to fall off the bed. "Is that supposed to be me?" she asked shrilly, pointing to a drawing of a figure with dark hair with lightning bolts shooting out of their fingers.

Andrew looked where she was pointing and consulted his clipboard. "You're getting ahead of me, Willow. But you are correct. That is a survivor's rendition of Darth Rosenberg." He put air quotes around the name. "I have faced many types of demons in my work with the Slayers of the Vampyres, but she was the most fearsome creature I've ever encountered," he said, reminiscing.

"I'm sitting right here, Andrew," Willow ground out, teeth gritted.

He looked back and forth between the drawing and her several times as if comparing the resemblance. "Oh, well, Willow, your horrifically evil alter ego is on my board of suspects…"

He was interrupted as Tara sat up in a rush, the move upsetting Willow's precarious balance and sending her crashing to the floor as Buffy, Xander, and Kennedy all jumped to their feet in surprise. Giles cleared his throat. "I told you that she wasn't a good one to draw on the board," he said quietly.

"What the hell, Andrew!" Buffy demanded. "Willow's not a suspect!"

He looked around lifting his hands to placate them. "Ah, but this is not Willow as we know her. This is Willow driven mad by grief and pain and rage, much like the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader. In fact Darth Rosenberg is so named…"

Willow interrupted him, sitting up slowly. "Andrew, if you talk about Star Wars instead of tell us why I'm on your board of suspects I'll come over there and smack you."

The cat jumped off the bed as Tara leaned over the side to look at Willow, a hand covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry, baby. Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

Willow reached a hand up to touch her wife's free hand reassuringly. "I might have broken my ass, but Andrew will get worse if he doesn't explain himself." Her gaze shifted from her wife to the young man. "Now," she prompted, brushing a hand over the cat's back as it climbed into her lap.

Andrew cleared his throat, gesturing for Giles to take a seat. He sat down on the bed next to Faith, taking Buffy's vacated spot. Andrew patted his hair and straightened the sheets of paper on his clipboard fastidiously before Buffy cleared her throat, her arms crossed over her chest. Kennedy sat back down next to Satsu, but Buffy and Xander stayed standing, glaring at Andrew.

"My list was categorized from most likely to least likely suspects, but if you insist we can start with Darth Rosenberg," he said. He pointed to the drawing of Willow with his marker. "This is Darth Rosenberg, the evil alter ego of our beloved Willow," he said after a dramatic pause. "But this is not Willow as we know her. No, this is Willow driven mad by grief and pain and rage. Grief and pain and rage cause by the untimely death of her lesbian lover, Tara Maclay." He pointed to Tara on the bed. "She was murdered by a mister Warren Mears, a notorious criminal whose reign of terror over the town of Sunnydale was brought to an abrupt end when Darth Rosenberg ripped the skin from his body and supposedly murdered him. However, he was not murdered as was earlier supposed, but is alive and magically sustained by a miss Amy Madison, a former schoolmate of…"

He was interrupted by Willow. "We know all this already. Just tell me why I'm a suspect, Andrew," she said, her annoyance abruptly gone. Hearing the reminder of her actions had calmed her down. She could see why he suspected her.

Andrew blinked at her, consulting his clipboard. He turned several pages, sliding a finger down the sheet. "Ah yes, here we are. At the same time fortunately and unfortunately, both the cause and victim of Darth Rosenberg's rampage were returned to life. Fortunately for us, regular Willow's lesbian lover and now magically joined wife, Tara Maclay, was given to Buffy, the Slayer of the Vampyres, as a reward for a job well done. Unfortunately for us, her murderer, Warren Mears was spared from death by Amy Madison and now the dynamic duo of evil have teamed up with our bitterest enemy, the foe known only as Twilight."

He stopped as Willow yelped loudly. She looked up sheepishly, pulling the cat's feet off her leg. "She scratched me! Sorry Andrew. Keep going." She leaned against Tara's hand as she felt her lover's hand slip into her hair from above.

"Where was I?" Andrew asked rhetorically. "Ah yes, the reason Darth Rosenberg is on the board of suspects is simply that having her lover returned to her opens up the opportunity for regular Willow to lose her again, which will plunge us all back under the thumb of the villainous Darth Rosenberg." He finished his speech and paused, waiting for applause. "That is all," he added when none came.

"What?" Xander exclaimed. "That's not a reason for her to be a spy for Twilight."

Andrew cleared his throat and consulted his list again. "If I had been allowed to go in order, you would have found out that Dark Willow is not strictly suspected of spying for Twilight. She is merely a potential enemy that we must be prepared to face."

"Erase it," Tara said firmly before anyone else could speak. "Now, Andrew," she ordered as he hesitated. "Willow will never go dark again."

"You can't be certain of that," he countered, starting to argue with her.

"No, I can," she said fiercely. "Willow would never do that again, even if something did happen to me."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The others were watching in silence, eyes going back and forth between the pair.

"Because I know her. She's not the same person she was then. She would never do anything to hurt any of you again," Tara said, her hand unconsciously tightening in Willow's hair.

The redhead reached a hand up to her lover's, gently loosening her fingers. Tara realized what she'd done and her anger dissolved into worry. Willow spoke before her wife could, smiling gently up at her. "I appreciate Tara's confidence in me, and your apparent lack of faith in me Andrew, but there's a very simple reason that I can't be Dark Willow again."

"Your powers are gone," Giles interjected and Willow nodded.

Andrew blinked, stunned. "Oh yeah," he said, erasing the drawing with an apologetic glance at Tara.

Everyone's attention was back on Willow a moment later as she cried out loudly, surprised. The cat that had been sitting peacefully in her lap was disappearing rapidly into wisps of gold energy. Xander looked around the room at the others. "Everyone saw that, right? It wasn't just me?"


	28. Chapter 27

There was a long moment of silence as they all stared, stunned.

"It had to be Amy, right?" Willow said from the floor, one hand taking Tara's as it rested on her shoulder.

Buffy nodded her head, looking between Xander and Giles. "Guys, go get those defenses in place. I get the feeling we're going to need them soon." Xander nodded and Giles stood up, both leaving the room. Buffy sighed, looking down at Faith on the bed and Kennedy and Satsu on the floor. "Go get your girls ready. And be careful, we don't know how close they are. They could already be watching us." She pointed to Andrew. "I guess you were right about there being a spy. You go with them. Call anyone who can help us find out how much time we have." He nodded and the slayers left with their Watcher.

Buffy hesitated, taking a deep breath, looking at the three women on the bed. "I need you guys to take care of each other." Willow's mouth dropped open to protest, but Buffy shook her head firmly. "They know your powers are gone, Will. Amy and Warren will be coming after you more than anyone. Whatever their reasons for joining Twilight, this, with you, is personal for them." Her gaze moved to Tara. "And you're sick, Tara." She looked finally at Dawn. "And you're my sister." She sighed. "You have to take care of each other. I'm going to go talk to Oz, try and figure out what's going on, how much time we have."

She pulled Willow to the side, lowering her voice. "I know you don't have any powers, but I also know that no matter what happens you'll do what you have to do to protect them." Willow nodded solemnly and Buffy sighed. "Just take care of yourself too, Willow."

The witch met her best friend's gaze, nodding. "Don't worry about us. I'll take care of Dawn, Buffy. Keep us in the loop. And be careful." Buffy nodded firmly and walked to the door.

She looked back at them over her shoulder, pausing in the doorway before rushing down the hall. The three looked at each other as she left, Tara standing up slowly and Willow rushed to her side to support her wife.

"You're still sick, Tara. Buffy's right," Willow protested, anxious.

Tara shook her head. "If they've found us, there's no reason to hide anymore. We've got to find a way to get our magic back." She looked at each of them. "Do either of you have anything left?"

Willow shook her head regretfully. "Only the connection and it's barely there."

Tara frowned thoughtfully. "Give me your hand," she said, lifting one of hers so Willow could take it. "Focus on the connection," she said quietly. "See if we can get anything together." Willow nodded, inexplicably nervous, her eyes slipping closed as she reached out to her wife.

Dawn was watching them carefully, hopeful. Nothing happened for several moments and Willow's eyes shot open as Tara doubled over suddenly, coughing. Willow slipped her arm around her shoulders, guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed. Dawn frowned, leaning over to look at Tara. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

Tara nodded as her coughing eased, immediately trying to stand up again. Willow's hands were instantly on her wife's shoulders, pushing her back down. "I don't think so, Tara. You're exhausted," Willow objected, scowling.

The blonde looked up at her, shaking her head. "I can't just go back to bed, Will. We have to do something. We're the only ones who can."

Willow was still scowling. "I'm not just going to let you wipe yourself out until we know more about what's going on." Tara's objection was interrupted by another coughing fit. When she was able to look up again, Willow's hands were planted on her hips, the resolve face firmly in place. Tara opened her mouth to speak, but Willow cut her off. "Not a chance, Tara." She dropped to her knees in front of her wife's seat on the bed. "We'll keep trying to use the connection, but I need you to rest." She looked up pleadingly. "Please, Tara?"

Tara finally nodded, sighing. Willow smiled, putting a hand on each of the blonde's knees. "Can I stay sitting up, or do you want me to lay down?" Tara asked, teasing lightly.

Willow shot her a chiding look, and Dawn giggled from her seat. "I'd rather you lay down, but I think you'll fight with me about it so I'm willing to let you stay sitting up." She gave her wife another look. "But one more coughing fit and it's back under the covers with you, okay? You really shouldn't be up at all."

Tara rolled her eyes, but Willow's gaze made it clear that she was serious. She finally nodded, leaning forward to touch her wife's face. "Okay. When can I take another dose of medicine?"

Willow checked her watch, surprised that it wasn't even ten in the morning. It felt like it should be later, but she had a feeling that this was going to turn into a long day…if they managed to survive it. "Not for another hour baby," she answered, forcing the other thoughts to the back of her mind.

Tara nodded. "Okay, good. Hopefully Buffy will be back by then." Willow nodded, and Tara's thumb glided over her cheek. "Let's get to work, love. I want to hear your voice in my head before my next dose of medicine."

Willow nodded back to her, smiling cautiously as her eyes slid closed. It was silent in the room for a long time, Dawn getting up from the bed to pace as she watched them anxiously. Tara's eyes were closed as well as Willow's and several times she had to choke back coughs, refusing to let them escape and keeping her hands pressed over Willow's on her knees. Eventually a cough escaped and Willow's eyes opened, looking Tara over worriedly.

Tara's eyes opened as she caught her breath, meeting Willow's gaze guiltily. "I can almost hear some kind of buzzing, but not your voice. I'm sorry," Tara sighed.

Willow shook her head anxiously. "That doesn't matter. We'll figure something out."

Tara reached over to the nightstand and picked up one of the bottles, looking at it briefly before putting it back down. "Which one do I need to take?" she asked Willow. The redhead picked up the correct one and handed it over. Tara took the pills and rested her hands on Willow's shoulders, pushing herself to her feet. "I've got an idea," Tara said as Willow shot to her feet, groaning at the stiffness in her knees from kneeling on the floor.

"Nuh-uh! Tara, no. We had a deal. One more coughing attack and you were going back to bed, remember?" Willow objected, shaking her head.

Tara ignored her and moved to walk to the door after determinedly pulling on her boots. Willow immediately jumped in her path. "Tara, there's no way in hell I'm letting you go outside. It's still snowing!"

Tara shook her head. "Willow, we don't have a lot of choices here, and we might not have much time. You can put me on bed rest later. I promise. My coughing attacks won't matter when we're getting really attacked by Warren and Amy and Twilight." Willow stared at her for a long moment before sighing heavily and stepping out of Tara's path. The blonde started walking back to the door, but was stopped by Dawn.

The younger girl was holding out a heavy sweater and a scarf. "I'm not going to stop you from doing whatever you have planned, but you need to bundle up Tara. It's freezing out there."

The blonde witch smiled, nodding and taking the clothes. She started coughing again while she was pulling it on and met Willow's increasingly worried gaze as her head cleared the neck hole. Tara lifted one arm without comment and Willow immediately slid it around her shoulder, the blonde leaning on her.

They walked slowly down the passage and Tara pushed the first door that led outside open and went out into the snow. Willow insistently pulled them around the corner of the building so they were out of the wind and crossed her arms, waiting to see what Tara had planned. The blonde used her boots to start kicking snow away from her, trying to clear a space in the deep snow that covered the ground. Dawn and Willow started helping her, eventually clearing a small patch of frozen grass. Willow caught Tara by the arm as the sick blonde started to sit down in the space.

"Are you crazy? You're not sitting down in the snow! What are we doing out here anyway?" Willow asked. "Anything we're doing, I'm going to do it. And you're going back inside to bed as soon as you tell me what it is we're doing," she said firmly.

"We've been sending our power into the earth. I want to try and get it back the same way," Tara said.

Willow's eyes widened and she nodded. "It's worth a try." She gave her wife a stern look. "But you're not meditating in this. You're still sick." She rested her hand on Tara's forehead, feeling the fever.

Tara smiled. "That's actually helping. I don't feel the cold that much."

Willow shook her head. "Not funny." She pointed back to the monastery. "I'll do it. You just get back inside." She looked at Dawn. "You take her inside and keep her there." Dawn nodded firmly, snow dropping off of her hair.

Tara hesitated, not willing to leave. "I can help you," she said.

"You're going to get pneumonia if you stay out here," Willow said firmly, stepping forward to press her forehead against Tara's. "You and Dawnie have to talk to Buffy and Oz. You guys have to figure out a plan in case this doesn't work. You'll know if it works." She smiled and leaned up to press a kiss to Tara's warm forehead. "And if it works, we'll get all the slayers out here to meditate their asses off in this blizzard."

Tara nodded, smiling back. "Now, you get your gorgeous ass back inside, my love," Willow instructed, pushing her wife back gently by her shoulders. Tara sighed and nodded, taking several hesitant steps backwards. They could all hear the sudden distant rumble and exchanged worried glances before Willow pointed Tara firmly back towards the monastery.

Willow was kicking fresh snow out of the spot they'd cleared when she felt a hand on her back of her neck. She looked up in surprise and was shocked to meet Tara's lips. Her surprise didn't last, her body automatically responding to her lover's kiss. Her arms slipped around her wife's waist and she could feel Tara's cold fingers in her hair. After several moments Tara pulled back and Willow opened her eyes slowly. "What was that for?" she asked quietly, still surprised. "I thought we were on a kissing hiatus."

"If you're meditating in the snow, what's the harm in me kissing you?" Tara asked, smiling crookedly. "If a few colds are the worst things that happen to us because of this, then we can count ourselves lucky."

Willow nodded before leaning in for another kiss. They broke apart as they heard Dawn stomping her feet from the doorway. "C'mon guys. Kiss later. It's freezing out here, remember?" she complained, but there was a wide grin on her face.

Willow squeezed Tara's hand gently, frowning at the icy coldness of her fingers. "She's right. You get back inside."

Tara nodded reluctantly and turned back to the monastery. She stopped in her tracks as she thought she heard something, but the wind increased suddenly and she started moving again quickly.

Willow watched them go, disappointed, before dropping to sit down, her hands resting on her knees.

Dawn and Tara found Buffy and Oz with Faith, Giles, Xander and the rest of the elite slayers in the large room at the center of the monastery. Buffy eyed them cautiously as they came in, Tara walking slowly and leaning heavily on Dawn. Dawn insistently pulled Tara to sit against the wall, stubbornly pointing at the floor as Tara started to shake her head. Finally she relented, sliding down to sit. Dawn sat next to her, looking at her worriedly, her friend pale, hands shaking.

"Just because Willow's not here doesn't mean you can run around and get sicker, Tara," Dawn said quietly.

Tara sighed, smiling and nodding weakly. "And you'll tattle on me too, won't you?" she asked.

Dawn grinned, nodding. "You better believe it, Tara."

"Well if I can't move, can you do me a favor and go get me those papers and books on the dresser in my room? Bay gave them to me when we got here, but we've all been so busy I haven't really looked at them too closely. There might be something that can help Willow," Tara instructed. Dawn nodded, jumping up and returning a few minutes later with the requested items.

They listened to the others' frantic planning, not speaking up themselves, but trying desperately to think of something as they read. Tara would glance around occasionally as if she heard something, ignoring the worried looks everyone was giving her. She could feel her own magic channeling into her, knew it had to be coming through Willow, but couldn't hear her lover's voice, or feel any trace of her presence.

Dawn touched her cautiously on the shoulder a while later as her friend shook her head, eyes closed. Tara didn't respond, just frowned in concentration. Finally her eyes shot open and she blinked, smiling happily. "Willow!" The others turned to look at her and she looked next to her at Dawn. "I heard her." Her wife's voice was the barest of whispers in her mind, but it was there. She abruptly blushed, ducking her hair in front of her face. _"Have you been saying stuff like that the whole time?"_

Willow's voice was only slightly more audible, but it was there and the knowledge thrilled Tara. _"I wanted to make sure I could get your attention."_

"_Spicy talk is the only way to get my attention?"_ Tara asked, smirking and only vaguely aware of the looks the others were giving her.

"_No, normally just walking into a room works,"_ Willow replied and Tara could hear her wife's smile, their connection still weak but strengthening every second.

"_You noticed that, did you?"_

"_It's the same way for me, Tara."_

It suddenly occurred to the blonde witch exactly how long her lover had been outside in the blizzard and she pushed herself to her feet quickly, forced to stop by a sudden outbreak of coughing. She could help smiling as she heard Willow's voice in her head again, louder that it had been in the weeks since they'd come to Tibet. _"I can feel that, Tara Maclay. You better not move a muscle. I'm coming to you. Do not move."_

Tara leaned against the wall, finally meeting Buffy's gaze. "Willow's coming in. She's been meditating outside. We've got our connection back." The Slayer's eyes widened and Tara shook her head before the other girl could get too excited. "It's still weak, Buffy. And I don't know if the technique will work for the slayers."

Buffy ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "It's the best idea we've come up with so far, Tara. I mean, we have Xander's guns and rockets, but I feel a bit better just knowing that you guys got anything."

Just then Willow came in, her cheeks red with cold. Her hands were shaking and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her face despite the fact that she'd been sitting in the snow for hours. Tara started to walk to her but Willow pointed at her firmly to stay put against the wall. Willow joined her quickly, taking her wife's hand. They felt the thrill of magic pass between them as they touched and both gasped, closing their eyes uncontrollably.

"You felt that, didn't you?" Willow asked, breathing heavily and squeezing Tara's fingers gently. The blonde nodded, her head dropping forward against Willow's shoulder. She felt suddenly weak and fainted, body slumping against Willow. "Tara? Are you okay?" Willow's fear escalated as Tara didn't respond and she pushed Tara's hair out of her face, trying to look at her.

Buffy was right there in a second, bending slightly to slide an arm under Tara's knees, the other around her shoulder, lifting the witch. Willow distractedly nodded her thanks at her best friend and the Slayer carried the unconscious Tara to the witches' room quickly. She put the witch down in the bed and stepped back as Willow took her place at her wife's side.

The anxious redhead pressed a hand to Tara's forehead, unfortunately still feeling the fever. She closed her eyes in concentration and tried to get a sense of Tara's condition through the still weak magical connection they shared. It didn't work and she opened her eyes in frustration.

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked quietly.

Willow shook her head, holding Tara's hand. "I can't tell. It's not strong enough yet."

"Could it be like at the wedding? You've both gotten stronger, but she's been sick. Maybe the connection overwhelmed her?" the Slayer suggested, trying to comfort her friend.

Willow nodded reluctantly. "You're probably right. I don't feel anything wrong, but I can't really tell yet. The meditating helped, but it's nowhere near back to normal."

Buffy nodded. "Tara said you were working to get your powers back. Is there anything else you can try?"

Willow shrugged. "Tara could help, but she has to wake up first," she said quietly, obviously worried. "What about Xander? Didn't you say he had some defensive ideas?"

Buffy grimaced. "He's been trading for weapons the whole time we've been here. Guns, grenades, missiles, stuff like that. Faith and Kennedy have some of the girls on the roof installing some of them. Xander's going to start teaching the girls to use them. Dawn's going to help him." The Slayer rolled her eyes. "Here's hoping her high score on 'Call of Duty' is actually worth something."

Willow actually laughed at that, smirking. "Still bitter about that, Buff?" she asked.

Buffy pushed her friend's shoulder gently, relieved to see her smile. "No," she denied unconvincingly. "It's just, I worked really hard to beat yours…" Her voice trailed off as Tara stirred on the bed, groaning. Willow's gaze shifted to her wife instantly, squeezing her hand gently.

Tara's free hand came up to cover her eyes. "Too bright," she groaned and Buffy jumped to turn the lights off. Tara brought her hand down slowly and Willow took it with her other hand, both feeling the surge of magic between them.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked anxiously, leaning over her. "You fainted when I touched you."

Tara nodded and moved to sit up but Willow quickly put a hand on her chest to stop her. "I'm fine, Willow," she breathed before she started coughing. As she finished Buffy handed her a glass of water and she smiled her thanks. She sat up slowly, Willow's hand moving to help support her. "What's going on?" Tara asked quietly, holding Willow's hand on her lap and reveling in the feel of magic flowing between them.

"Andrew thinks we might have a few more hours to prepare, maximum. He called your coven friends Will, and they said that they weren't on us yet, but they're close. He's going to try and make it look like we've still got some magic, try and buy us some time," Buffy said with a glance at the door. "Actually, Will can you fill her in? I need to go help. And I want to try the meditating thing if we have time. Can you guys meet back up with us in a little while?"

"Go, Buffy. I'll catch up once Tara is settled in here," Willow said, ignoring the disbelieving look Tara gave her. The Slayer nodded absently, already moving toward the door. Willow turned to look at Tara, arching an eyebrow. _"And what is that look for, my love?"_

Tara's eyes slipped closed and she leaned her head forward to rest against Willow's shoulder. "Oh God, not again. Tara, baby, wake up, please," the redhead pleaded, free hand shaking her wife's shoulder gently.

"_I'm awake, Willow. It's okay. I'm just…not used to this anymore. It feels amazing,"_ Tara's voice assured her.

"I know it does," Willow murmured aloud, her free hand sliding over Tara's shoulder to rest on the back of her neck. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, unable to squelch her worry.

"I'm okay, Will. I'm just a little weak…and the magic." She moaned. "God, it feels so good. Has it always felt this good?"

Willow smiled bitterly. "Be glad it doesn't feel better. That's how addictions are formed."

Tara's head shot up, concern on her face. "Willow, are you okay?" She suddenly noticed the tension in her beloved's face, the tremble in her fingers. "Sweetheart, talk to me…are you okay? What can I do?"

Willow reluctantly slipped her hand out of Tara's without saying anything. She met Tara's worried gaze with a plea for forgiveness in her own eyes. "I'm sorry, love. It's just too much, too fast."

Tara slapped a hand to her forehead. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make it harder for you…Will, I'm sorry."

Willow shook her head, touching Tara's face soothingly and pulling her wife's hand down from her face. "Tara, no, it's not you. It's not your fault. I just…we've gone without it and now it's back and it _does _feel good. I just don't want it to feel _too_ good, you know?"

Tara leaned against her lover's hand, turning her head to press a kiss against her wife's palm. "You can do this, baby. I know you can."

Willow took a deep breath. "I just don't want to push too hard, too fast. It feels _so good_," she said quietly, looking Tara in the eyes.

Tara nodded. "I feel it too, love." Her hand reached out to touch Willow's hand out of habit and both of them had to close their eyes at the surge of magic that jolted between them. "Oh God," Tara whimpered, jerking her hand back. "It's always been the best when it's with you," she breathed, eyes still closed.

Willow smirked, taking the opportunity to distract them both. "Well, thank you. You too, my love." Tara's eyes blinked open and she laughed quietly at the expression on her wife's face. The smirk dropped from Willow's face as the laughter triggered Tara's coughing.

Tara looked up as she got her breath back. "I'm okay baby, I swear. We need to do something to ease ourselves into the magic. We've got the connection, but can you do any spells?"

Willow pursed her lips, dissatisfied with the subject change and still worried about Tara's health. She murmured their tinkerbell spell, but only a dim flash appeared above her fingers.

"That's what I thought," Tara murmured, frowning thoughtfully. "But the connection is getting stronger."

"Not fast enough," Willow said regretfully.

"But there's a kind of surge when we touch. Maybe we can get something together?" Tara suggested, holding out one hand slowly. "If you're up for it?"

Willow studied her carefully before she nodded and put her hand in Tara's. They murmured the tinkerbell spell and the light appeared steadily over their joined hands. It was weak, but it was there. However, as soon as they took their hands apart, the light vanished.

Willow cursed, jumping to her feet to pace anxiously. "We don't have time for this," she complained. "We might could do something with more time, but we don't have it." Her attention was back on Tara in a heartbeat as the blonde fell backwards onto her back on the bed suddenly. Willow was beside her in a second, worried. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Her words were cut off as Tara took her hand soothingly, her eyes dropping closed as she felt Tara's magic, diminished as it was, flowing into her. Willow's eyes shot open after a moment and she snatched her hand back as Tara's labored breathing penetrated the hazy feeling her returning magic was causing.

"What do you think you're doing? Stop that!" Willow chided, leaning over to look Tara carefully in the face. The blonde witch had both eyes closed and was pale and panting for breath. "Tara, you shouldn't have done that."

"Did it help?" Tara asked quietly, her voice weak.

Willow sighed, and reluctantly responded, "Yes, it did, but that doesn't mean you should have done it." She could feel Tara's magic strengthening and stabilizing her own power.

Tara's eyes stayed closed, but a smile came to her face. "I'd almost forgotten how powerful you are, baby." She groaned tiredly as her effort left her weaker than she'd been.

"Okay, that's it!" Willow said, frustrated. "Into bed with you. I said this morning that you weren't getting out of this bed and I mean to enforce it. Twilight himself isn't getting you out of this bed again."

Tara's eyes opened slowly and she blinked up at Willow blearily. "Willow, you're crazy if you think you're going anywhere or doing anything without me. I'm not letting you out of my sight." She tapped her forehead. "And now I can find you if you try and leave me," she reminded her wife. She smiled weakly, looking around her. "And I'm already in bed, baby."

Willow scowled. "You're feverish and weak, Tara. You're going to get worse if you keep going like this."

Tara shook her head slowly, her eyes sliding closed again. "Doesn't matter. You're the big gun, Willow. We won't make it out of here alive without you. Buffy and the others are going to need you."

Willow blinked, surprised. "So what if I am the big gun? I won't let you get worse because you were wearing yourself out trying to help me."

One of Tara's eyes opened to find Willow. "We need you, Willow. All of those girls out there, Satsu, Kennedy, Faith, Buffy, Giles, Xander, Dawnie, Bay, Oz, little Kelden, they'll all die without you."

Willow shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Tara, no. I can't…there's no way…I can't beat Twilight. I'm not strong enough."

Tara's other eye opened and she rested her hand over Willow's on the bed. "You can be," she said simply. "Meditate with me. We'll do it together. Slowly."

Willow paused, trying to think of an objection that Tara would actually accept. She finally sighed. "Fine, but only for a little while. You need to rest, sweetheart."

She sat herself on the bed and was surprised when Tara sat up on the bed, pushing herself wearily to her feet. Willow just stared after her as the blonde walked slowly toward the door. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked, stunned.

"Outside. The contact with the earth will make the whole thing easier," Tara said, her voice surprised, as if it should have been obvious.

Willow was in front of her in a flash, both hands on Tara's shoulders to stop her. "I don't think so!" Tara just took both hands and pulled them down, siphoning more of her power into Willow with the contact and causing Willow to pull back from her. "Stop that!" she protested.

"Come outside and meditate with me, and I will," Tara bargained, holding out one hand and waiting. Willow just eyed her for a long moment, mentally cursing her wife's stubborn streak. Tara smiled gently, her free hand coming up to rest on the wall, supporting herself. "I can hear you. You know that, right?"

Willow stomped her foot, scowling. "Good! You're everything I said." Her expression softened. "But you're also brilliant, and brave, and completely amazing." She took Tara's hand with a sigh. "We'll go out for a little while and then you're going back to bed. I'm worried about you." She looked up at Tara as she slipped herself under the other woman's arm, coaxing her wife to lean on her.

They had to clear another spot in the snow and Willow reluctantly let Tara sit down before she sat down in front of her, joining their hands in between them. They didn't move for several hours, the snow falling heavily around them while they concentrated on reaching their banished power, the afternoon sun unseen behind the heavy clouds.

When Willow opened her eyes again, she could feel the magic surging through her, the sensation making her giddy. It wasn't as much as she had been used to, but it was so much better than nothing. She quickly came down from her euphoria as her eyes fell on Tara. The blonde witch was shivering and her lips were blue, skin pale, with sweat pouring down her face and freezing in her hair. Despite that, she was keeping a firm grip on Willow's hands, concentrating on sending everything she could into the other witch.

Willow quickly forced Tara's hands off of hers as she realized what her wife had been doing, the blonde collapsing back into the snow as soon as the contact was lost. Tara groaned as she came out of her intense meditation, looking up to meet her wife's furious gaze. "Willow? Where are we?" Tara asked weakly, her body trembling in the snow as her teeth started chattering loudly.

Willow put her anger on hold as she knelt in the snow and gingerly lifted the other woman into her arms, surprised and distressed by how easy it was to carry her. She returned to their room quickly, only stopping to pull Tara's boots off before pulling the covers up over the shaking witch. She sat down on the edge of the bed and started rubbing Tara's hands quickly between her own, using the friction to warm the icy digits.

As Tara's shaking eased, Willow's overwhelming worry and fear was interrupted by her anger at Tara for being so foolish. She stood up, pacing furiously next to the bed. Tara was watching her from the bed, feeling the sharp tingles in her hands and feet as blood started flowing through them again.

"How could you do that, Tara? You were sending me everything you got!" She kept pacing, her eyes darting around the room. She stomped her foot, finally meeting her wife's eyes. "If we'd stayed out there much longer you could have died!"

Tara just stared at her, finally speaking softly. "I would. If it will save you, I'll go back out there and fight those goddesses all night, send it all to you."

Willow blinked furiously, tears spilling from her eyes. "You _will __**not **_die for me," she gritted out through clenched teeth. Tara didn't speak, just watching her and Willow took a deep, shuddering breath. "Tara Maclay, you're not going to die again."

Tara coughed, feeling the ice melting in her hair. "I guess you'd better do something about that then, shouldn't you?"

Willow moved in a rush to the bed, collapsing to her knees next to it, her head dropping to rest against the mattress. "Tara," she groaned loudly, feeling the recovered magic inside of her calling to her. Her traitorous mind was suggesting spells, powerful spells, urging her to cast, to do something. She could feel the desire to dominate the situation they were in rising up her spine. She could hear Tara moving slowly in the bed but didn't move, struggling to control herself. The stark reality that Tara's statement had driven home, the possibility that she could lose Tara again, was making her restraint waver.

A shiver rushed down her spine as she felt Tara's hands slip into her hair, her lover's mouth pressing kisses across the back of her head, her voice quietly murmuring. Willow forced herself to concentrate, listening to Tara's words to keep herself from casting anything.

"Willow, you can do this. You're stronger than this. I'm so sorry I made you angry. I never wanted to push you like this, but you can do it. You have to do it. I'll do anything I have to for you. I love you so much. I need you, Willow. Please, focus, for me. I know you can do this. Tell me what I can do to help you. I'll give you everything I have, my heart, my love, my magic, my life, anything you need. It's all yours, it's always been yours."

Tara's quiet words stopped as one of Willow's hands came up to grab one of hers tightly. Willow looked up at her and Tara met her gaze solidly. "I won't lose you," Willow breathed.

Tara shook her head minutely. "You never could. That's not what this is about though. This is about saving our friends, keeping them safe."

Willow groaned, her head dropping back down. "This is all my fault. I brought us here. Now we're trapped in the mountains with no power and our enemies are coming for us."

Tara frowned, gently forcing her wife's head up with a hand. "Will, no one was forced to do anything. Everyone had a choice to stay here. Nothing about this is your fault." She smiled cautiously. "Buffy even offered us an out. Do you wish we had taken it?"

Willow shook her head, blinking. "No, I don't."

"Then there's nothing to do but try and get as many of us out of this as we can. And you're our best shot at that. That's why I did what I did." She looked at Willow firmly even as her hands trembled from exhaustion and weakness.

Willow sat up on her knees, leaning over Tara with a frown on her face as she pressed her free hand against Tara's forehead. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she felt the extreme heat. "You're burning up!" she exclaimed loudly. "Tara!" She quickly forced the thermometer into the blonde's mouth before rushing to get a wet cloth from the bathroom. She draped the cool fabric over Tara's forehead and the witch groaned at the change in temperature. The thermometer beeped and Tara winced as Willow glared at her. "105? You could have seizures with a fever this high. You should be at a hospital!"

Tara coughed weakly. "Not a likely possibility, love," she commented, recoiling slightly from Willow's renewed wrath. She couldn't stop a smile as she noticed the bedside lamp start floating up off the nightstand. "Um, Will," she said, pointing to get the angry witch's attention. Willow blinked in surprise and the lamp landed softly. "You're doing so good, baby," Tara complemented her.

Willow ignored the peacemaking attempt. "How could I have let you go out when you're sick like this?" she asked herself rhetorically, shaking several pills out of a bottle and holding them out to Tara.

She took them in one hand, hesitating before she took them. "These aren't going to make me sleep, are they?"

Willow arched an eyebrow. "You had better believe they are. And Tara Maclay, you're not going to argue with me about this. You have to sleep. Baby, you're exhausted and your fever is way too high. Your magical stunt didn't help anything either." Her arms were crossed over her chest, the resolve face falling over her expression.

Tara still hesitated to take the medicine. "Willow, I can help you. I can give you more."

Willow dropped suddenly to sit on the edge of the bed, looking seriously at Tara. "Tara, I'm not going to let you kill yourself for this." They stared at each other for a long moment before her expression abruptly crumbled and she broke down into tears. "You have to get better, Tara. I can't lose you. There's nothing left of me without you. Everybody thinks I'm so strong, even Buffy, and they depend on me so much and they're the most powerful women in the world and I'm just me, just little geeky Willow Rosenberg, but they trust me to get it done, to be strong for everyone, but it's all you, baby. You make me strong…you're the…"

Tara blinked in surprise at the panicked outburst, immediately swallowing the pills dry and pulling Willow down into her arms. "Shh, shh, I'm sorry. Baby I'm so sorry," she breathed soothing words into Willow's hair, her lover's face pressed tightly into her shirt. "Please forgive me, Willow. I love you. I'm so sorry. Please baby, please forgive me. I just want to help you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to die, sweetie." In between words she pressed frantic kisses over her wife's hair, ears, neck, face, anything she could reach. She could feel Willow's tears soaking into her shirt and she struggled to keep her eyes open as the medicine started affecting her, her exhaustion relentlessly dragging her toward sleep. "Willow…" she struggled to speak. "I love you."

The exhausted witch finally couldn't fight against it any more and her eyes dropped closed, one hand still moving slowly through her lover's hair. Willow felt Tara's breathing steady and slow and she lifted her head to look down at her. The blonde witch was pale, the ice melting in her hair sending streams of cool water down the back of her neck. Willow pressed a kiss to her sleeping wife's mouth before she climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to douse the washcloth in cold water again to try and bring down the dangerous fever.

With a heavy sigh, she turned to rejoin Buffy and the slayers, checking to make sure Tara's walkie was still on the nightstand where she'd left it this morning in case the exhausted witch somehow woke up before she could get back. Everything seemed in order so Willow left, shutting the door behind her quietly.

Xander and Dawn were giving the girls a rushed lecture on handling guns, but Buffy noticed when Willow came in and stood up to meet her, intercepting her before she could come too far into the room. She could see the worry and fear on her friend's face, and as she got close she noticed the tear tracks.

"Will, how's Tara?" she asked quietly, suddenly scared.

Willow blinked tiredly, shaking her head. "She almost killed herself out there."

Buffy's jaw dropped and she grabbed Willow's arm, pulling her into the hallway. "What? Almost, though right? She's not…"

The witch shook her head. "No, she's not dead. I don't really know how she's not dead, but she's not."

"What happened?"

"She…we…she convinced me to let her go outside and meditate with me, try and get more of our powers back. But she…I wasn't paying attention, I didn't notice…we were out there for hours and the whole time she was giving me everything she got." Her voice trailed off and she blinked, her eyes refocusing on Buffy. "Much longer and she could have died."

"How is she?" the Slayer asked, concerned. "And how are you?"

Willow groaned. "Her fever is at 105, Buffy."

"Oh God. I know that can't be good, can it?"

The witch shook her head. "If it goes up much more she could still die," Willow said, almost inaudibly, her eyes drifting back down the hall to where her wife slept. Buffy pulled her friend into a tight hug without speaking and Willow broke down in her arms, crying against her shoulder.

It was several minutes before Willow regained her composure, pulling out of the hug and wiping her tears away. Buffy kept a hand on her friend's shoulder, looking her carefully in the eyes. "She's not going to die, Willow. I'm assuming since you left her that she's asleep?"

The redhead nodded. "I gave her medicine to make her sleep. I just hope it brings her fever down too." She scowled. "How could I have been stupid enough to let her go outside?" she demanded, still angry at herself for that.

Buffy frowned. "How did she convince you to let her do that anyway?"

"I said I would meditate with her, but she wanted to do it outside so we'd get a better connection to the earth, but of course I said no because, hello, blizzard! But she blackmailed me!"

"How'd she do that?"

Willow glanced guiltily around the hallway, avoiding Buffy's eyes. "I was a little…buzzed from getting the connection back, but I didn't want to go too far too fast with my control so I asked her if we could slow our practice down some, but she kept slipping me bits of her magic whenever I would touch her and she said she wouldn't stop unless I let her go outside and meditate."

Buffy frowned thoughtfully. "I'm glad you were staying aware of your limits, but what does slipping you her power do for you?"

Willow bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain the incredible feeling of combining her magic with Tara's and how it made her feel. Finally she took a deep breath. "Okay, remember, of course, when I was crazy, and you ran off to save Jonathan and Andrew and left me in the Magic Box fighting Giles?" Buffy nodded silently, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, he sort of dosed me…with magic. I was so far into the dark magic that when I stole the magic from him, the magic he had borrowed from the coven, it introduced an aspect of humanity back into me. That helped me stop when Xander confronted me. It made me feel something other than my grief."

She met Buffy's gaze. "Tara's magic is like that. When we're casting together, or focus through the connection, her power helps me stay grounded, keeps me from getting out of control. It lets me feel her, everything that I love about her. The magic…having it back, it feels incredible, Buffy. I was scared to go too fast so she sent some of her own magic into me to help ground me, help me feel my humanity."

The Slayer nodded solemnly. "But it's bad for her?"

Willow shook her head. "Not normally. But she's so weak right now. And she was going to keep wearing herself out doing it if I didn't let her go outside."

"But you've got the connection back, right? Can't you send it back to her or something?" Buffy asked, trying to understand.

Willow sighed heavily. "That's the part of the story where she almost killed herself. When we were outside meditating, she gave me everything she was getting. I don't know how she did it without me noticing, or getting overwhelmed, but she did it, and for better or worse it's done." Her eyes slid closed. "I'm back, Buffy." She heard her friend's gasp and opened her eyes to look at her. "I'm nowhere near full strength, but I'm not powerless either." She smirked. "Call it freshman year of college strength and growing."

Buffy smiled, nodding. "Hey, freshman year we beat Adam…that's not nothing."

Willow nodded back. "But it's not awakening the slayers worldwide strength either."

"Well, this morning we didn't have either," Buffy said reasonably. "What do you need from me?"

Willow arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"


	29. Chapter 28

Buffy didn't answer for a moment as they heard the rumbling that had been growing louder for the last several hours finally reach it's zenith just as one of the girls rushed back in, yelling, "They're here!"

"Everybody to your positions!" Buffy yelled into the room where the others were still gathered and they rushed past her, Xander pausing to toss flak jackets and helmets to Willow and Buffy before he joined his troops outside.

Willow dropped the armor, her eyes sliding closed as she murmured rapidly in Latin. There was a loud crash and the ground trembled.

"What was that?" Buffy asked, yelling to be heard over the sudden cheering and noise from outside. "What did you do?"

"Shield," Willow gasped, trying to catch her breath. "It should reflect any missiles or big stuff they shoot at us. But it'll keep our stuff in too, so don't let Xander shoot anything big inside the field."

"Can they get through it?" Buffy asked.

Willow nodded, grimacing. "They'll be forced to stick with close range, man to man fighting, but it should limit how much damage their tanks and planes can do. But they still have their guns," she reminded the Slayer.

The cheering outside had been replaced with yells and they could hear Xander loudly issuing orders. They both hurriedly put on their vests and helmets and collected two guns on their way out to join him.

"Xander! Don't use the secret weapon until the shield comes down!" Buffy ordered and Xander immediately relayed it into his walkie. "Willow bought us some time, we don't want to waste it."

Oz ducked behind the barrier they were crouched under and they all blinked in surprise to see a naked man following him. Buffy clapped a hand over Dawn's eyes, but the stranger paid them no attention, making no move to cover himself.

"This is Monroe. He's a wolf, like me," Oz said.

The other man scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not a wolf like you. I don't hide what I am, try and make excuses for the animal that lives inside me…"

"Yeah, whatever, you're the big bad wolf, we get it," Buffy interrupted him. "What are you doing here?"

"He's here to help," Oz said. "He and his wolves are here to fight against Twilight with us."

Buffy nodded. "Welcome then."

Monroe nodded, phasing into his wolf form right in front of her before howling loudly and rushing into the battle, other wolves coming from all sides to join him. Oz followed him out to rejoin the fight.

Xander was anxiously watching. "Guys, this isn't going well. I don't think the shield is going to last too much longer."

Willow shook her head. "It's not. Get whatever you've got up your sleeve ready. I'll tell you when to use it."

He nodded, issuing instructions to his squad. They could see Andrew's pseudo magical efforts having an effect and Buffy jumped as she heard someone yell her name. She didn't have time to respond as they all heard the rumbling crack as Willow's shield finally broke and the tanks rolled into battle.

"Now!" Willow shouted, closing her eyes. Xander signaled his group and he could see them jump back in surprise as the torpedo they had had hidden suddenly appeared to duplicate, half a dozen of them rocketing into the air, falling in an arch toward the tanks while the real torpedo slid unnoticed down the hill toward the lead tank, gaining momentum on the icy slope. The vehicles adjusted their guns to shoot down the torpedoes, stunned when their shells shot through empty space.

It was too late to do anything when the real torpedo reached them. The explosion was massive, taking out several tanks and sending shrapnel flying in all directions. They all hit the ground; Buffy coving Dawn as much as she could while Xander covered Willow. Buffy jumped up as she dimly heard her name again through ringing ears. She noticed Oz waving frantically and she took off towards him.

"It's Bay. She's been hit," Oz said as the Slayer reached them. "Help me." She took the injured woman's feet and they lifted her together, hurrying back inside. Willow and Dawn followed them, the younger girl rushing off to get bandages while Willow put a hand over the deep belly wound as they put her down gently.

"I can't fix this, not all the way," she said, worried. "I'll do as much as I can," she assured Oz, seeing the heartbreak in his face and remembering all too well how it felt to watch the person you love die in your arms. He nodded tensely and she shut her eyes, reaching out with her power and resolving that what had happened to her would not happen to Oz.

She opened her eyes a short while later, relieved to the see that the wound had closed partially. However, Bay was still bleeding and she groaned in pain as Willow and Dawn did their best to clean her wound.

"The goddesses…" the injured woman moaned. "They promised….protection."

Willow frowned in confusion, leaning closer. "Goddesses? What goddesses?" She looked up at Buffy, seeing the same confusion in her friend's face. "Bay?" Willow tried to get her attention, shaking her as she tried to get the other woman conscious enough to explain.

Oz quickly pushed her back, cradling his wife's shoulders protectively. "You can't do that, Willow! My wife could be dying!"

"So could mine!" the redhead shot back vehemently, tears welling suddenly in her eyes as her fear rushed to the forefront of her mind. Buffy put a soothing hand on Willow's shoulder as they all stared at each other tensely.

"Oz, we need Bay's help here or we're all going to die. Bay, Tara, Kelden too," Buffy said quietly. "Willow needs whatever information Bay can give her. Please."

He sighed heavily after a long moment, leaning in close to his wife and gently shaking her awake, wincing at the groan that tore from her throat.

"What about the goddesses?" Willow asked. "How can we reach them?" Frowning in thought, she murmured to herself. "Tara said something about goddesses earlier, said she was fighting them..." Raising her voice. "Did Tara know about the goddesses?"

Dawn surprised everyone as she jumped to her feet and bolted into another room. "Tara was reading these," she announced as she raced back in, arms full of papers and books. She dropped it all on the floor and Buffy dropped to her knees to sort through the papers with her sister.

"It was just superstition," Oz said, frowning in thought. "The chants were traditional, not actual prayers."

Willow was thinking herself. "You know better than that, Oz. Every tradition has to start somewhere. If these goddesses really are real, that would explain how my power got taken so fast." She grimaced in realization, slapping a hand to her forehead. "And why Tara was struggling so much to get it back."

"What do you mean, Willow? Didn't you mediate too?" Buffy asked, confused.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, but I was focusing on getting the connection back. They never actually took that away completely. I don't think they could because so much of it was between me and Tara, more than our normal magic."

"Anger…" Bay moaned, voice barely audible. "Anger will reach them…" She fainted in Oz's arms and Dawn carefully finished dressing her wound.

Willow shot to her feet, eyes wide and furious, and Buffy looked up at her quickly, grabbing her hand. "Willow, wait. I know you're angry, I am too." She stood up next to her best friend. "But maybe I should talk to them. I don't think you're up to slaying another god right now."

Willow shot her a look. "Like you are?" she demanded.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm not, but I didn't just find out that my wife has been hurt by these people. I'm a little bit more rational right now, that's all."

Willow's eyes closed slowly under her friend's concerned gaze and she nodded. Opening them again, she looked at Oz. "Is there somewhere safe we can move her to? I want to take Tara there too. Where's Kelden?" He nodded without speaking and Willow stepped over to lift Bay's legs, helping Oz lift her. "I'll follow you," she said, eyes swimming with fear and anger.

They took Bay to a deep cellar dug into the side of the mountain where the monks had hidden the young children of the monastery, Kelden among them. They helped Oz make a pallet to lay Bay on, one of them stepping forward to check her bandages.

"Can you help?" Oz asked him. "There are more wounded." The monk nodded and Oz clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you." He turned to look at Willow. "Let's go get Tara." He eyed her cautiously. "Maybe you should sit down here with her for a while when we get back. You're looking kind of wiped," he suggested.

She waved away his concern. "I don't have time to rest. People are dying out there. I'm the only one who can do something."

He nodded. "Maybe, but you can't do anything if you're unconscious."

She just took a deep breath, leading the way back up to the surface. She started running as she realized suddenly that Tara's voice was coming through the walkie in her pocket, the transmission filled with static, their underground location disrupting the reception. Oz was surprised and stayed several paces behind her, unable to catch up with her frenzied pace. She burst into her room, seeing Tara sitting up in the bed. Willow looked around the room in a rush, making sure there was no one else there. Oz appeared in the doorway a heartbeat later, breathing hard.

"Tara, are you okay?" Willow asked as she hurried to the bed. Her hands pressed against her wife's forehead, immediately relieved that the fever appeared to have gone down. "Oz, get her some water," the redhead ordered, smiling gratefully at him as he brought her the glass.

"Willow," Tara breathed, staring at her wife as if she'd never seen her as she dropped the walkie she'd been using.

Willow frowned in confusion, nodding. "It's me. I'm right here. How are you feeling?" she asked as she pressed the glass into the blonde's hand.

Tara shook her head to clear it, taking a long drink from the glass. "I feel weak, but I'm getting better I think."

Willow's head dropped onto Tara's shoulder suddenly, relief washing over her. "Tara, you scared me half to death, baby."

"I'm sorry, Willow. For earlier. I didn't mean to make you get upset like that. I was just trying to help you," Tara said quietly, closing her eyes and leaning her head against Willow's.

Willow nodded against her and Tara could feel her take a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I know that, Tara." She pulled back to look her wife in the face seriously. "Just don't do it again. The only thing you're going to do for the rest of the day is focus on getting better." She looked distractedly over her shoulder to where Oz was waiting. "Buffy is trying to reach those goddesses that took our powers."

Tara flushed, realizing that Willow had figured out the details of what she'd done earlier. "Willow, I'm sorry, but…"

Willow interrupted her with a look, one hand coming up to cup Tara's cheek. "It's not you I'm mad at, love. Buffy went instead of me because she said she was the more rational one right now."

"Marvel at the thought," Oz commented dryly and both women looked over at him. "I'm glad you're awake, Tara. Willow's been freaking out." He smirked. "She took it out on some tanks though, so it's kind of been a good thing." Willow shot him a look and he quickly clarified. "Not a good thing that you're sick, just a good thing that Willow bombed some tanks."

"Sweetie, you fought plural tanks?" Tara asked, frowning and still scared despite the fact that she could see with her own eyes that Willow was okay.

Willow quickly shook her head. "It was Xander's torpedo! I just made it look like we had six of them and they were coming by air. Really we only had one and it was on land." Tara still looked concerned and Willow hastened to continue. "And I wasn't anywhere near it actually! I was behind the bunker and I had my vest and helmet on!" she said quickly, pointing at the armor. "And Xander covered me up when the explosion went off."

Tara sighed, pulling Willow into a tight hug. "I might have to kiss him," she commented, laughing as Willow shook her head firmly.

"Sorry. No matter how grateful you are, that's not happening. Tara-kisses are all mine," Willow said firmly, leaning in to get one. They kept it brief and Willow turned her head to look at Oz. "I'm sorry Oz, I'm sure you want to get back to Bay." She looked back at Tara. "Can you walk, baby? We need to get you down to the cellar." The blonde witch looked between the two of them, finally nodding. "Go ahead, Oz. We'll be down there soon." The werewolf nodded, rushing off without speaking.

Tara ran a hand over her lover's face, smiling in relief at seeing her whole and unharmed. "Honey, I don't know what you have in mind, but I'm not going to just hide in some cellar while you go back out and fight. I'm going wherever you are."

Willow shook her head fervently. "Tara, no! You may be feeling better, but there's no way you're well enough to be out fighting."

Tara met her eyes. "I'm with you, Willow. I can't just sit and wait in the dark and not know if you're going to come back to me."

"Our connection is back. You'll know I'm safe," Willow reasoned.

Tara shook her head. "That won't make it any easier. If something happened…"

Willow pulled her in tightly, pressing Tara's face to her shoulder. "No, baby, no. Nothing is going to happen to either of us. We're going to make it through this." Her hand slid into the back of Tara's hair, holding her wife tight against her. "Nothing will keep us apart, remember?"

"Nothing will take you away from me," Tara corrected her fiercely. "I mean to make sure of it, Willow. I won't lose you."

Willow's mind was racing as she held Tara. She knew the risks of letting Tara go into battle with her, but she also knew well her wife's stubborn streak. She finally pulled back with a heavy sigh. "Tara, I don't think I'll be able to force you to stay in the cellar without giving you more medicine, but I can't just let you go out like this." Tara opened her mouth to object and Willow shook her head to stop her. "The monks are going to need help tending the wounded though. Will you help them? Please baby, I've already made things worse for you by letting you go out in the blizzard. I can't let you go into the fight too."

Tara took a deep breath, finally nodding. "I'll stay in and help the wounded as long as you make sure that you're not one of them." Willow smiled and Tara couldn't stop herself from pulling her wife back into a tight hug. She grimaced against the heavy armor Willow was still wearing, knocking on the heavy plate that covered her wife's back with her knuckles. "You know baby, I'm glad you're wearing it, but this stuff can't be comfortable. It's so heavy!"

Willow's shoulders went minutely up and down. "I've kind of been running on adrenaline. I didn't notice it until I sat down and was still." Tara immediately sat up, hands reaching for the snaps to open the heavy vest but Willow stopped her gently. "I can't take it off yet." She glanced toward the door. "We actually should probably go out there." She paused, looking at her wife carefully. "If you're sure…"

Tara nodded quickly and Willow stood up, offering the blonde a hand. Tara kept a tight grip on it, steadying herself as she stood up. Willow waited as Tara pulled her boots back on and they held onto each other's hands as they left their room to rejoin the others.

Willow gave Tara a stern glance as they walked slowly. "I don't want to even imagine that I feel any of your power coming into me, Tara. I really want to keep holding your hand, so please don't make me drop it," she said firmly, squeezing her wife's fingers gently.

Tara sighed, smiling. "You know me too well." She hesitated. "But Willow, I can still help you."

Willow nodded. "And you will. But not that way." She looked across at Tara. "I need you to be able to defend yourself out here."

Tara leaned over to press a kiss to her temple. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"You'd better be," Willow said warningly as they reached the large central room just in time for the earth to rumble beneath their feet. Willow covered Tara with herself as dust rained down on them. The trembling didn't stop and Tara gently pushed Willow off, taking her hand to pull her towards the door. They both stopped and stared in amazement as they saw the three goddesses stomping their way through the enemy forces. The women were immense, each one twenty feet tall with three eyes.

Buffy was right outside and she turned as they came up behind her. She threw her arms around Tara as her stunned mind recognized her friend's presence. "I'm glad to see you up and about, Tara. You scared us."

Tara looked around. "So there are the goddesses," she said, still shocked. "And where are Xander and Dawn?"

Buffy shrugged, her anxiety obvious. They all stood in silence for several minutes, watching the released goddesses stomping across the battlefield. Finally Buffy blinked, nudging Willow with one arm and pointing at a overturned humvee that was lying nearby. "Do you think you can help me turn that over? I need to go out there," she said, gesturing out toward the field.

Willow frowned, nodding. "I can turn it over, but why do you want to get out there?" she asked, worried.

Buffy sighed, still watching the goddesses. "There's someone out there I've got to find." She looked at Willow. "It's important."

The witch concentrated for a second, the vehicle righting itself. "I'm coming with you," she said as Buffy climbed into the driver's seat, pulling herself into the passenger seat. Tara put a hand on Willow's shoulder and the redhead turned to look at her. "Tara, you have to stay here, baby, please. I have to know that you're safe."

Tara nodded silently, her hand moving to the back of Willow's neck, away from the firm armor that covered her shoulder so that she could feel her wife's skin under her fingers. _"Come back to me."_

Willow nodded firmly. "I will. I always will," she said softly, feeling Tara's hand on the back of her neck. She smiled as she felt the fingers gently pulling her in and leaned down from her seat to kiss Tara gently.

They pulled back slowly and Tara shivered uncontrollably in the cold air. Willow frowned as she saw it and pointed firmly at the temple door. Tara smiled and raised both hands in defeat. "I know, I know. You don't have to say it. I'm going back inside."

Willow nodded, smiling. "Thank you, love. Send some of the monks out to gather the wounded. You stay inside as much as you can. And stay bundled up." Buffy started the truck and started them moving, seeing Tara's smile. "And drink lots of water!" Willow called loudly as they vehicle moved away, gratified to see Tara moving back towards the temple entrance.

Buffy was driving as erratically as she ever did, slowing down only long enough to search faces in the scattered wounded. Willow held on tight to the side of the door, yelling to be heard over the noises of battle still going on around them. "Who are we looking for? I can help if I know who I'm looking for."

Buffy nodded. "Riley. We're looking for Riley."

"Riley? Riley Finn? Your ex-boyfriend?" Willow asked, surprised.

"That's the one," Buffy said. "We've been in touch. He's been spying on Twilight for us. I think it's about time we got an update."

Willow nodded, falling back in her seat as Buffy swerved to avoid getting stomped by one of the rampaging goddesses. The witch frowned up at the gigantic leg. "Wasn't that kind of close? Isn't she supposed to be looking out for us?"

Buffy slammed on brakes as the foot stomped just in front of them. The next step landed on several of Twilight's soldiers, narrowly missing several slayers. They looked at each other, realization on both of their faces. "They don't care who they kill. They're going for anyone who's moving." Willow said.

"We've got to get Riley and get out of here," Buffy said. "We have to get as many people as we can into the temple. Our people _and_ their people. The goddesses aren't going to stop."

It took another few minutes before they found Riley, Buffy jumping out of the truck to help him up, pulling him into the back seat of the humvee. Willow climbed into the back to look at his wounds.

One of his hands was on his stomach and she gingerly moved it to look at the bleeding injury. He groaned, smiling up at her. "It's good to see you again, Willow. It's been a few years. What have you been up to?"

Willow smiled distractedly at him as Buffy floored the truck, grabbing onto the seat to keep her balance. "I activated the slayers, moved to Scotland, married Tara. How about you?"

"Traveling, spying on Twilight. You know, the usual," he responded, groaning again as the truck jostled. They pulled to a screeching halt in front of the temple and Buffy and Willow helped Riley out of the vehicle as several monks came out in a hurry to escort them in. Tara met Willow's worried eyes as the redhead immediately searched the room for her. She gave her a reassuring smile before going back to her work tending the wounded slayers.

"_Are you okay? How are you feeling? Is your fever still down?"_ Willow couldn't stop herself from asking, forcing herself not to physically interrupt her wife's work.

Tara smiled as she continued to work. _"I'm fine, baby. I've been meditating whenever I have a moment and I'm getting stronger. I'll tell you if something is wrong. Was that Riley you came in with?"_

"_He's been spying for us. He's hurt, but not too bad."_

Willow finished patching him up and he and Buffy quickly moved back outside to issue retreat orders to their troops. They waved everyone they could find into the monastery, organizing less injured slayers to help any wounded they could find.

Willow hurried to join them, reluctant to leave Tara, but anxious to find Xander and Dawn. They each searched in different directions for hours, only the impending nightfall driving them to stop looking, and they were hiking back to the monastery together when Riley pulled them both down into the snow, kneeling and putting a cautionary hand to his mouth telling them to stay quiet.

There were military troops surrounding the monastery, several squads holding their guns on the slayers. They could see Xander and Dawn in the group of prisoners, as well as Oz and Bay, Kelden held tight in his father's arms. As they watched, Kennedy and Satsu came out, Tara in between them. The blonde witch had an arm around both slayers' shoulders, her head hanging and her feet dragging behind her. Kennedy had obviously fought back, her nose bloody and a bruise forming over one eye. Willow moved to go to her wife immediately, but Buffy and Riley grabbed her hurriedly.

"Will, you can't. They'll kill you," Buffy hissed, the blood rushing out of her face as she saw Warren and Amy walk out behind the slayers and unconscious witch. "Oh God," she groaned, looking anxiously at the witch.

"If he touches her, I'll kill him," Willow breathed, struggling against the tight grip her friends were keeping on her.

Buffy swallowed, glancing at Riley over her friend's head. "Willow, please. We have to wait for a better time." Willow glared at her fiercely and Buffy had a vivid flash of fighting against her best friend, her eyes black with rage and grief and magic. "If he touches her, I'm with you, I promise, but he doesn't know who she is, he has no reason to single her out," she said reassuringly. Willow nodded, her eyes returning to her wife immediately, worried and scared but still green.

They watched as the slayers gently laid Tara down, the other girls quickly clearing a space. Xander and Dawn pushed their way into the circle and checked on the witch. From where they were, they couldn't hear anything, but they could see the look of relief on Dawn's face as she took Tara's pulse and Willow forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked her quietly.

Willow blinked, still watching the scene and slowly letting out her breath. "No, but you can let me go. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Riley waited for Buffy's nod before he released Willow's shoulder and arm from his grip. "So, what's the plan?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

"I'm going to kill Warren and Amy, and then we're killing Twilight and ending this," Willow said firmly.

Buffy nodded, pointing to the witch. "That's the plan."

Riley nodded, smiling bitterly. "I like it."

They watched as Faith was dragged from the temple, struggling and fighting against every step and it took four men to restrain her. Buffy winced as she watched her counterpart recoil from a sharp blow to the face with the butt of a rifle. Willow stiffened beside her, her eyes locked on Tara as the witch sat up slowly, Xander helping her gently. The crowd tightened too much for Willow to see, but there was a soldier in Tara's face immediately, tying her wrists together tightly before taking several cautious steps back, obviously scared of her.

"_Something is wrong, Willow. Are you okay? Where are you?"_ Tara contacted her wife as soon as her fuzzy mind realized what was happening.

"_I'm okay, Tara. We're watching. I'm with Buffy and Riley. I was going to come…"_

She was interrupted immediately, Tara's voice scared. _"Willow, no! Stay where you are. Don't come after me. I'll be okay."_

"_I'll come if they raise one hand to you, Tara. I promised you that Warren would never touch you and he won't. That goes for Amy too. Have they done anything to you? Dawnie? Xander? Are you all okay?"_

"_We're okay. The soldiers got the jump on us from behind. Amy signaled me out to get taken down first so they knocked me out. Andrew's tricks worked. They're not sure who's got powers. Mine are so low right now, I'm not sure they know they're there, but they're scared of me."_

"_Well, that might actually help if it doesn't get you killed. If they think you're powerless, they won't be expecting that you can defend yourself or that we're talking,"_ Willow reasoned.

"_That's what I was thinking too,"_ Tara agreed.

"_But Tara, if anything happens, you screw the plan and save yourself. Don't let anything happen to yourself, okay?"_

"_Willow…"_

"_I mean it, Tara. You keep yourself safe,"_ Willow said firmly, still staring at her from their hiding spot. She blinked in surprise as Tara's head turned and looked straight at their location for several long seconds before she looked away. _"Promise me."_

"_I'll be careful,"_ Tara responded.

"_That's not good enough. I need you to promise me,"_ Willow said firmly.

"_I promise that I'll be okay. I won't sit by and let the others get hurt though, either Will. If it's me or them…"_

"_The second anyone threatens you, you tell me and I'll come…"_ Willow stated immediately. _"I'm serious Tara. Look out for the others, but you take care of yourself too."_

"_I will. I'll be okay. But Willow, I need you to promise me something too."_

"_Anything."_

Tara hesitated and Willow could feel her anxiety going up by the second. _"You have to promise me, no matter what happens, I don't want you to kill them…"_ Willow immediately started to object and Tara continued. _"Willow, please. You can't…I can't bear to see you like that again. Please, for me, say you won't kill them."_

There was a long silence between them and Willow finally relented. _"I won't kill them."_

"_No matter what happens to me," _Tara prompted her to continue.

"_Nothing is going to happen to you! I won't lose you again, Tara," _Willow instantly responded.

"_We're both going to be fine,"_ Tara agreed.

Willow let out a deep breath, forcing herself to believe that Tara was telling the truth, that they would both walk away from this, but doubt lingered. _"I'll let you know what the plan is so you can be prepared. You be careful, Tara."_

"_You too, Willow. I love you."_

Willow felt her eyes slide closed, the statement causing her resolve to stay away waver, everything in her telling her to get to Tara's side, no matter the cost. _"I love you, Tara." _She could feel Buffy's hand on her shoulder and she blinked, opened her eyes slowly. "Tara's awake. She doesn't think they know about her having her powers back." She could see Buffy's fear and answered her without the Slayer having to ask. "Dawn is okay. Xander too. They're all okay," she assured her friend, trying to let the assurance work for her as well. "They're all going to be okay," she repeated, glancing back down to their friends.

They could only watch as the troops got all of the slayers on their feet, forcing them to march through the snow back across the battlefield. The prisoners walked within a dozen yards of their hidden friends and they had to hold Willow back as they saw one of the soldiers shove Tara from behind. The witch stumbled, her tied hands making it hard for her to catch herself, but Dawn helped her stay on her feet while Xander pushed the trooper back, getting punched in the jaw for his efforts.

As the last troops vanished over the hill they stood up slowly, brushing snow off themselves. Buffy was watching Willow carefully and immediately noticed that her friend was shaking. She rested a hand on her shoulder gently. "Are you cold, or is that the anger?" she asked.

Willow shrugged, her face expressionless. "Combination of both."

Riley was looking around, night falling quickly around them. "Let's go see if they left us anything useful in the monastery," he suggested. The girls nodded and followed him slowly inside. The contents of the monastery were wrecked; papers, clothes, bandages, and ammunition scattered all over the ground.

Riley cautiously kept his gun at the ready, exploring cautiously. Willow stopped in the front room, kneeling in the mess to try and find the papers Tara had been reading earlier. Buffy went to check on the status of Xander's weapons, looking for anything that had been left behind.

When she came back she was dragging a large crate. Willow went to help her and the Slayer pried open the box with a crowbar she found in the mess. Riley came back and started checking the guns while the girls gathered usable bullets from among the scattered debris. He sat down to start reloading the clips for the guns and Willow went back to looking for the ancient papers she hoped could give them a clue.

Buffy was pacing anxiously, glancing toward the doors. They could still feel the rumbling tremors the goddesses were causing with their stomping. "I have to go look for more wounded. We can't leave them to get stomped or freeze to death. You guys don't need anything from me here, right?" They both shook their heads and she took off out the door.

Willow let out a cheer as she finally found what she'd been searching for and immediately started reading as fast as she could. Unfortunately, a lot of it was in some language she didn't recognize. _"Tara, those papers Bay gave you, what language are they in? I'm trying to find something that can help us."_

"_It's Chinese. Most of Tibet speaks Burmese now, but those are in ancient Chinese."_

"_Damn, I don't read ancient Chinese."_

"_Hang on, I'm going to try and find someone who can. Maybe one of the monks, or Giles?"_

"_Be careful. Don't draw attention to yourself," _Willow cautioned her. _"How are you? Your fever? Are you still hiking? It must be freezing."_

"_We're stopped for the night. My hands are tied so I can't check my forehead, but I feel alright, just tired. It is cold though. Are you inside? It's too cold be out here."_

"_Don't remind me. I hate that you're out there, baby. And what do you mean that your hands are tied? Who touched you?"_ Willow demanded, scowling down at the papers in her hands.

"_It was just one of the soldiers. And he didn't hurt me, he's just scared, following orders,"_ Tara assured her.

"_He should be scared. He's messed with the wrong witch. No one touches my wife but me."_

"_Willow, it's okay. I promise that I'm okay for now. Now, you describe those Chinese symbols to me. I'm going to try and draw them in the snow and we'll see if the monks can figure out what they say."_

Willow sighed, not satisfied with the change in subject, but she knew how important getting the translation was to getting Tara back. She started explaining the symbols in detail, writing down the translation and pronunciations carefully as Tara recited them. Willow got more excited as they finally finished. _"That should do it, Tara. Thank you so much, baby. If we've got this right I should be able to get the goddesses to give Buffy her powers back. If the other slayers were still here we could probably get their powers back to them too."_

"_It'll be alright. We'll find another way to get their powers back. How about you? How are you feeling?" _Tara asked.

"_I'm getting stronger. I don't have to fight as hard to get my magic back now that the goddesses are out of the earth. They're not very good at controlling themselves," _she said, thankful that the deities' recklessness had been good for something.

"_It's the same way for me. The magic is coming back more easily this time."_

Willow pursed her lips, remembering Tara's foolish stunt in the snow. _"Don't remind me how bad I screwed up on that one,"_ she requested and she could feel Tara's protest coming before the blonde could answer. _"We can argue about that later," _she said, forcing her voice to hide her doubts and fears. _"Do you know where the scythe is? Did they get it?" _she asked, changing the subject.

"_Amy has it. She's giving it to Twilight when we get back to their camp tomorrow."_

"_Oh, Buffy isn't going to be happy about that."_

"_If she gets her powers back, maybe she'll be happy with an ordinary stake,"_ Tara suggested, smiling despite the trouble they were all in.

Willow blinked back tears, missing Tara so sharply at that moment that it was a physical pain. _"I love you, sweetie. I love you so much."_

"_I know you do, Willow. I love you too."_

"_You know I'm going to get you back. You know that, right?"_

"_It never even crossed my mind that you wouldn't, baby."_

Willow sighed, her eyes dropping closed. _"You just stay safe until we get there. I'll let you know when something happens with getting the powers back. You tell me when they move you guys, okay?"_

"_You'll be able to feel it, but I'll tell you,"_ Tara promised. _"You be careful with those goddesses."_

Willow promised that she would be and quickly explained what she was going to try to Riley. It was then that it occurred to them both that they hadn't seen anything from Buffy in a while. They had both been working on their individual tasks for a long time and neither one had noticed the Slayer come back. As the realization settled in, they both rushed out into the snow. The snow storm had gotten worse and it was impossible to hear anything over the wind. They could barely see the goddesses in the dimming light and Riley suggested they look for Buffy in that direction.

Willow righted another one of the overturned humvees and they drove into the storm, both keeping a careful eye out for the Slayer. They didn't find her until they were practically under the goddesses' feet. Willow quickly gestured for Riley to shoot up into the air, effectively drawing the goddesses' attention as the bullets whipped past their faces.

The redheaded witch climbed onto the hood of the truck and one of the inhumanly large women leaned over to look at her more closely with all three of her eyes. Willow started shouting out the first passage she and Tara had painstakingly translated, Riley staring at them as Buffy started moving through the snow to them. Willow finished her recitation, waiting anxiously.

It was only a moment before the goddess stood up straight, snapping to attention. They were all surprised when her hand shot down, picking Buffy up easily between her fingers. The Slayer fought as she was lifted into the air, the goddess holding her at eye level for several minutes. Buffy was forcing herself not to look down, coughing when the deity exhaled a long breath into her face. There was another long pause, the goddess just staring at her before finally dropping her. They paid no attention to where the Slayer landed, which was fortunately a deep snow bank, instead giving their undivided attention back to the witch. Willow consulted the sheet she'd written the translations on and shouted another phrase up at them hesitantly, squinting in the dark.

Riley had climbed out of the truck to get to Buffy and had to catch his balance as there was a bright flash and a sudden earthquake, a crack opening up and welcoming the goddesses back. There was a loud peal of thunder as their energy disappeared, the crack sealing up behind them.

Willow jumped down off the truck, unable to see in the sudden darkness. Green spots floated across her vision as if she'd been looking at the sun and it took her several seconds to find Riley in the snow. "Is she okay?" she asked anxiously.

He lifted the unconscious Slayer, shrugging. "We need to get her back inside. Can you look her over while I drive?"

She nodded affirmatively, climbing into the back seat while Riley put the Slayer next to her. Willow probed her cautiously with her magic, feeling a tickle that sent a rush of excitement through her. She leaned forward in the seat to shout up to Riley. "I think it worked. She looks okay, but there's something different." He nodded, concentrating on driving fast without sliding on the icy snow. _"Tara, baby, I think we did it. The goddesses did something to Buffy before they left. That earthquake didn't hurt you guys, did it?"_

"_That earthquake was you?"_ Tara asked in surprise. _"Sweetie, what's going on?"_

"_I recited that stuff to the goddesses and one of them picked up Buffy and blew in her face and then dropped her and they went back inside the earth. The quake was when the crack opened up for them to get back in."_

"_Is Buffy okay?"_

"_She's unconscious, but I can feel her powers. Riley's driving us back to the monastery now."_

"_Okay, we're moving out of here at first light. I'll let you know exactly when later, okay?"_

"_That's fine. You should get some rest if you can. Are you going to be warm enough? Get someone to check your face for fever too. You're still sick, Tara."_

"_Yes, ma'am,"_ Tara responded sarcastically and Willow bit her lip, trying not to smile.

"_Keep it up with the sass, and just wait and see if I don't keep you in bed for a week after this,"_ Willow said warningly.

"_In bed for a week with you…I can think of nothing I would like better. Or was that supposed be a threat?"_

They pulled up to a halt in front of the monastery and Willow hurried to open the door while Riley carried Buffy inside, looking for the nearest bed. Willow led him to it and he put Buffy down carefully. "Can you watch her? I need to finish loading those guns." Willow nodded and he went back out, leaving the witch alone with her unconscious best friend.

"_Can you just tell me if you're feverish?"_ Willow requested, her anxiety overpowering her normal reaction to her wife's teasing.

"_Dawn says I'm a little warm, but nothing serious. We walked a long time today."_

"_Thank goodness."_

"_How are you doing with the magic, sweetheart? How's your control?" _Tara asked and Willow's eyes slid closed at the love and concern she could hear in her beloved's voice.

"_I'm doing good. How about you?"_

"_I've got enough power to take care of us over here until you can get here,"_ Tara assured her. _"What do you think is going to happen to Buffy?"_

"_I actually have a theory about that,"_ Willow responded, not having to see Tara's face to know that her wife was smiling, amused even now by her scientific mind. _"I think the goddesses were struggling to control the power they took. It's not theirs, and it's natural place is with us, the people who create it, control it, like our magic. The power wants to be with us, in us, so we were, in effect, playing tug of war over it with the goddesses. Once they got out of the earth, they were so excited to be free that they weren't pulling as hard as they should have been,"_ she explained. _"Does that make sense?"_

Tara was smiling, knowing that Willow would know it despite not being able to see her. _"It makes sense. So now if they're back in the earth, and Buffy's the full powered Slayer again, where is the rest of our power?"_

"_I'm not sure. My theory doesn't go that far,"_ Willow confessed. _"Do any of the girls with you have their strength back?" _There was a pause and Willow felt her back stiffen, wondering if it could possibly be that simple.

Tara's voice was there a second later. _"Sorry, baby. Faith says she doesn't have anything."_

Willow sighed, looking down at Buffy's unconscious body on the bed. _"It was a long shot anyway. It's late, love. Can you guys get warm enough to sleep?"_

"_I think so. We're going to have to get in a big group to share heat." _There was another pause. _"Xander says that he gets a free pass tonight. He doesn't want any punishment for sleeping with me."_

"_Tell him I said that I'll know if he touches anything that's mine,"_ Willow responded. _"Seriously though, thank him for me. I saw him take that punch earlier. I'm glad he's there with you. Not that I'm glad any of you are prisoners, just, I'm glad he's there to look out for you. That's all I meant. Of course I wouldn't ever want Xander to be captured, or you, or Dawnie…"_ The redhead could feel her anxiety rising swiftly out of her control as she stared down at Buffy, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed.

Tara's voice interrupted her gently, hearing the hysteria rising in her wife's voice. _"We know, sweetheart. It's okay. Calm down. Just take a deep breath. It's all okay."_

"_Thank you," _Willow breathed, her eyes sliding closed. _"You should get some sleep,"_ she said, reluctant to stop talking, but knowing how exhausted the other woman had to be.

"_I'm not sure I can do it without you, but I'll try. Take care of yourself and Buffy."_

Willow agreed and returned to watching over the Slayer, gradually stretching herself out on the bed next to her. Her mind was too anxious to let her rest, but she shut her eyes, trying desperately to figure out a plan.


	30. Chapter 29

In the soldier's camp the prisoners were left out in the snow while the soldiers set up a large command tent for Amy and Warren. There were smaller two-man tents scattered throughout the clearing for the grunts to use. There was commotion all over the camp and the powerless slayers and Scoobies did their best to stay out of the way. They were all chained together, there was nowhere for them to go, nothing to do but wait.

They pushed as much snow as they could into a small hill, trying to stay ducked down behind it to keep themselves out of the wind. They were trying to get themselves close together, sharing heat to keep from freezing in the cold night air.

Crunching snow grabbed their attention and they all unconsciously tried to make themselves smaller, hoping to avoid notice by their captors. Several troopers came around their snow bunker and pointed firmly to Tara, waving her forward, but keeping their guns at the ready.

The others tried to get in front of her, keeping her back, but she moved forward willingly as the soldiers cocked their guns threateningly, pulling Dawn forward, the barrel of a gun pressed to her head. There were tears in Dawn's eyes and Tara lifted her bound hands quickly, showing that she was empty handed.

"It's okay," she said to everyone, her friends and her enemies, trying to keep them all calm. "I'm coming. Just calm down. Don't hurt her, okay? Let her go, and I'll go with you," she assured them. They pushed the younger girl back to the crowd of prisoners as Tara took several steps forward, Xander catching Dawn and putting himself between the younger Summers and the soldiers.

The soldiers shuffled back from her, still scared she would curse them. One shoved his partner forward and he quickly unchained her from the others, leaving her hands still roped together. She sighed as he went around behind her and she started walking slowly, not wanting to give him any reason to shove her.

Tara was completely unsurprised when they led her to the large tent Amy and Warren were using. They opened the flap and she ducked her head as she entered, forcing herself to stay calm.

Amy had her back to Tara and turned quickly as she felt the blast of cold air come through with the other woman. She smiled widely at Tara, looking her over. "It's good to see you again, Tara," she said, sounding almost cheerful.

The blonde's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Not so much," she commented, glancing around the tent. She noticed Buffy's scythe sitting on a table but didn't let her eyes linger on it, blanching when she noticed the other occupant of the tent.

Warren turned to look at her, smiling gruesomely, his skinless face grotesque when seen up close. "You know, it's strange that we never met, for the trouble you caused me," he told her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Amy pointed you out to me."

"I can't say I'm glad to meet you," Tara said, taking an unconscious step back as he walked towards her. Her hands squeezed into fists to keep from trembling. "What do you want with me?" she asked, trying to keep an eye on both of them at once.

They glanced at each other and Amy shrugged. "I mostly just want to mess with Willow's head. You're the easiest way to do that."

Warren grinned, and Tara felt herself shudder uncontrollably. "Your bitch killed me. How do you think I should respond to that?"

"You killed me first," she replied without thinking. Tara twisted her wrists in the ropes, trying to think of anything she could do to get herself out of this with her hands bound. "So what are you going to do to me?"

She regretted the question a second later as Warren's fist collided with her skull. "How much do you think she can take before she cries for the redhead?" he asked Amy. She thought about letting herself pass out, but knew things would only be worse for her if she was unaware of what has happening to her. She fell to her knees as more blows rained on her head, determined not to cry out, not to give him any satisfaction, and most of all, not call for Willow.

* * *

Xander was still awake when they brought Tara back, her head hanging, blood dripping from her nose, her mouth, the numerous cuts on her face. He helped lay her down, using snow to wash the blood from her face.

She groaned, shying away from his hand. "Tara, no, it's me, it's Xander," he assured her quietly. He ran his eye over her, taking stock of her injuries, the cuts and bruises on her face and neck, several of her fingers obviously broken. "God, Tara, what did they do to you?" he said mostly to himself as he did his best to clean her up. It took a few minutes for her to come back to herself, realize that his touch was helping and not hurting.

"Xander?" she groaned his name, struggling to open her eyes through the pain, her eyes swollen and bruised. "Where's Willow?" she asked, confused and disoriented. There was a cut below her hairline and the blood trickled into her eyes, making her blink furiously, the motion enough to tear a groan from her throat.

His heart broke for her and he gently warmed her hands by pushing them into the sides of his jacket. "She's coming, Tara. She'll come for us," he assured her quietly. He looked around them, grateful to see that at least Dawn was asleep, and those that were still awake looked away when Xander shook his head at them, indicating that he would handle it.

Her eyes finally opened as much as they could beneath the bruising and she realized where she was. "You can't tell her about this," she said, teeth chattering in the cold and he frowned at her in the dark.

"She's going to notice this, Tara. You've got cuts and bruises everywhere," he argued, his thumb wiping the blood from her forehead carefully.

She shook her head stubbornly. "You can't tell her. You know what she'll do." She glanced down at herself. "I can fix this, it'll just take some time." Her eyes met his in the darkness. "I mean it, Xander. Don't tell her about this."

"You guys don't have any secrets, Tara. Are you sure this is one you want to keep from her?" he asked, frown still plastered to his face.

She shook her head. "I will tell her, but not until after this is over. She promised me she wouldn't kill them, but if she knew, it could get bloody."

He sighed, finally nodding. "Okay, but only because I can't lose her again. Not like that." His eye ran over her injuries again. "How are you going to heal yourself without her noticing? Can't she feel what spells you're using?"

"Normally she could, but the connection's not that strong yet. She won't know until I tell her," she assured him.

"How much time do you need?"

She shrugged. "A few hours. I'm going to have to go really slow. It's going to hurt for a while longer," she said, grimacing.

"Can I do anything?" he asked.

Tara shook her head. "I'll be alright."

* * *

It was hours before there was any sign of activity from Buffy, Willow's eyes snapping open as she heard her friend's panicked yelp. The witch was stunned to see the Slayer floating above her, her back pressed tight to the ceiling.

Willow shot off the bed in a rush and Buffy tried to push herself off of the ceiling. "Get me down from here," she said loudly, looking anxiously at Willow.

The witch shrugged. "I'm not doing it!"

"How's it happening then? I can't make myself float!" Buffy insisted, pushing harder against the ceiling. They both blinked in surprise as her hand cracked a hole in the wood. "How'd I do that?" the Slayer yelped.

"You've got your powers back, but there's obviously something new going on," Willow reasoned, trying to think. She snapped her fingers after a moment. "Buffy, say this 'ereh morf nwod em teg.'"

Buffy said it slowly, stumbling over the unfamiliar words. She immediately flopped onto the bed as she said the last word. She jumped to her feet in a rush, hugging Willow tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!" She quickly released her as Willow groaned, rubbing her arms where Buffy had squeezed her.

"Ow," the witch muttered, cautiously lifting one sleeve to inspect her arm. She had to hold it straight out to see anything over the shoulder plate of her body armor, but there was a bruise rising quickly where the Slayer's arms had wrapped around her and Buffy guiltily touched the spot carefully, her other hand poking at the arm-shaped dent in the back plate of Willow's vest.

"Sorry, Willow. What happened to me?" she asked, taking a step back and putting one hand under the edge of the bed, her fingers finding the frame. Both girls' eyes shot open wide when Buffy lifted the bed easily over her head with one hand. "Okay, you must have given me extra mojo. I wasn't this strong before. I haven't ever been this strong."

Willow was thinking quickly. "I think I know what happened. When the goddesses gave you your powers back, they didn't just give you your own. I think you have everything they took from all of us. That's how you were floating. You have some of mine and Tara's magic. We were wondering where the rest of our powers were." The rest of the realization hit her and she gaped at her best friend. "You're the Slayer, so the powers are yours anyway. You've got all of it! You'll probably lose the magic, that's not yours, but I'm not sure how long it will take."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "So I'm like a super-Slayer? That is so cool! Faith and Kennedy are going to be _so _jealous!"

Willow shot her a chiding look, shaking her head. "Let's worry about that after we rescue them, how about that?"

Buffy sobered up, nodding seriously. "Let's load up and go get them then," she said.

Willow sighed, shaking her head again. "There's only three of us Buffy, even if you are super powered now. They still have the army, remember?"

Buffy frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, right. Well, maybe Riley will have an idea. Where is he anyway?"

"He's out in the front room loading the guns. Those are the only ones we've got, right?"

Buffy nodded as the girls went to find him. He was happy to see Buffy on her feet and stunned as she demonstrated her new strength by going outside and hoisting up their humvees easily, one in each hand.

"I actually think I'm getting stronger, Will," she commented, rolling her shoulders as she put the trucks down.

The witch shrugged. "There's no way to know how much stronger you could get. Between all the slayers and me and Tara, you're looking at a lot of power."

"How long do you think it will last?" Riley asked, frowning thoughtfully.

Willow shrugged again. "I'd guess it will take a few hours at the minimum to even get up to full strength, so it will probably last a few days, maybe even a few months. It should stabilize sometime, but I doubt it'll fade anytime soon."

He nodded. "Okay, well, I think we should take advantage of this."

"What are you thinking?" Buffy asked.

"Raid their camp. We can start out in the direction they left in. They're probably stopped for the night, it wouldn't take us too long to catch up to them. And if they're following procedure, it shouldn't be too hard to find the command tent Amy always makes us set up."

Buffy scoffed. "Will can get us a location easier than that. There's no reason to go tramping around in the dark and get ourselves lost."

He frowned in confusion and Willow nodded. "Tara's with them. If I concentrate, I can feel where she is. It'll lead us straight to them."

His eyes widened and he blinked. "Wow. That's handy. It's lucky Amy doesn't know about that or she'd have killed her already." He was wincing before the words were out of his mouth.

The blood rushed from Willow's face and Buffy shook her head warningly at Riley, pointing at him. "You shut up with stuff like that," she ordered, turning her back on him to look Willow in the eyes. "Tara's okay. Amy doesn't know about the connection, and no one would tell her. It's fine. We're going to get them. It'll all be okay." She turned to look at Riley, pointing firmly at the doors. "You load up the trucks. We'll be there in a second." Willow was stony faced as the Slayer turned back to her and Buffy pulled her friend into a hug, careful not to squeeze her. "She'll be okay. I promise."

Willow nodded, taking a deep breath, and Buffy smiled at her. "You're right. It's okay. She's fine. They're all fine."

Buffy nodded encouragingly. "That's right. And we'll get them back soon."

They helped Riley finish loading the weapons and set off into the dark. Buffy drove one truck while Willow rode with Riley in the lead. They rode in silence for a while, Willow pointing directions carefully. She tapped Riley on the shoulder to let him know they were close. They pulled to a halt, cutting the lights off and leaving them in the dark. The snow had finally stopped falling and the moonlight was reflecting off the snow brightly.

Willow had warned Tara to get the others ready as quietly as she could while they were driving over and she reached out to her again to let her know their status.

"Diversion?" Riley prompted, keeping a careful eye on the hills around them.

Willow nodded, shutting her eyes and taking one of Buffy's hands. There was a distant rumble and a strange moment of calm before the ice face broke away from the mountain pass Twilight's soldiers had been heading towards.

"Avalanche…nice!" Buffy said, grinning at her friend. Willow grinned tightly back as they heard the panicked shouts from the surprised troops. Riley signaled them into motion, all three staying low as they used the tree line to hide themselves. They found their friends huddled closely together behind a barrier of snow they'd built up to protect themselves from the biting wind. Each of them had chains binding them and Willow concentrated, murmuring a spell quietly. The chains dropped off into the snow and they waved the prisoners forward, motioning them to stay quiet. Riley started leading them back to the trucks, leaving Willow and Buffy to cover their retreat

Buffy pulled her sister into a careful hug as she passed, letting her go with Xander towards the vehicles, lingering herself near the camp in case they were discovered.

Tara came last, Willow wrapping a protective arm across her wife's shoulders and rushing her to where the others were waiting, keeping herself between Tara and the clearing. Buffy climbed onto the truck last, waving to Riley and they started moving, careful to stay quiet. Willow had to put her almost overwhelming desire to check on Tara on hold while they drove, using her powers to shift the snow behind them, hiding their tracks.

Once they got a fair distance from the enemies' camp, they stopped, still and soundless in the cold night. "Where are we going? We can't go back to the monastery, they'll just come get us," Buffy said, trying to think out loud.

Oz was looking around carefully and spoke up from his position in the back of the first truck. "There should be some caves about half a mile east of here."

Riley nodded, clapping the other man on the shoulder. "Thanks, Oz. We'll head that way." He and Buffy climbed back into their trucks, driving in the dark for another little while before they found the caves. Everyone got out wearily, moving quickly into the dark, but dry caves.

Xander helped Riley and Buffy hide their vehicles while Willow obliterated their tracks, leaving pristine snow behind them.

As soon as they went into the cave Willow rushed to Tara, the blonde witch seated against the wall, her forehead leaned wearily against her drawn up knees. Willow pulled her head up gently, looking her face over carefully before pulling her into a tight hug.

"You're never leaving my sight again, Tara," she breathed, dimly feeling Tara's arms come tight around her over her flak jacket.

"I'm okay with that," Tara agreed, and Willow could hear her exhaustion in her voice. She quickly sat back, unsnapping the heavy shoulder piece of her jacket and let the whole thing slide off with a thud. She leaned herself against the cave wall next to her wife, pulling Tara to sit in front of her, her knees coming up on either side of Tara's body. The blonde leaned wearily against her, sighing as Willow's arms came around her, holding Tara in tight against herself.

Willow pressed kisses to Tara's hair, squeezing her gently and trying to force herself to calm down. Tara gently ran her fingers up and down Willow's arms. _"Willow, I can feel your heart pounding against my back. It's okay, just take a deep breath, sweetie."_ She leaned her head back against her lover's shoulder, turning slightly to look up at her. "I love you," she said quietly and Willow tilted her head forward enough to kiss her gently, Tara's hands holding her arms tight. They broke the kiss off gradually and Tara squirmed up closer so that she could rest more comfortably against her wife's body, her face nuzzled in close to Willow's neck as her eyes slipped closed.

Xander sat down quietly beside them, loath to disturb their reunion. He was surprised when Willow reached over with one arm and touched him gently on the shoulder. His eye found her in the dim light and he smiled, relieved to see that she was okay.

"Thank you, Xander. I saw what you did to take care of Tara," Willow said, keeping her voice low.

He shrugged, glancing around the cave. "She's practically my sister-in-law. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't stop some idiot shoving her?" he asked, guilt over what he hadn't been able to stop rising up his chest.

"You're the best brother ever, Xand. I mean it," Willow said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you." They both glanced down in surprise when Tara whimpered as Willow moved under her, but they weren't shocked to see that the blonde witch was asleep against Willow's chest.

"I'm sure she told you, but she's okay," Xander said, watching his best friend gently run a hand down Tara's arms and hoping he was doing the right thing hiding what had really happened from Willow.

Willow nodded. "She told me she was okay, but she would have said that even if it wasn't true just to keep me from storming in there and getting myself killed."

"Well, don't kill me for saying so, but she did the right thing." She shot him a look and he continued quickly. "You can't tell Buffy I said this, but you're the strongest person I know Will, and even you can't fight an army. And you kept it together and you got her back. If you'd rushed in to protect Tara, you'd have gotten yourself killed."

Willow nodded, leaning her head against her wife's hair, grateful beyond words to have her arms around her. "I'm glad you're all safe," she said quietly, meeting his gaze over Tara's head.

"Tara told us that Buffy was back in action," he said, glancing towards the Slayer.

Willow grinned. "She's doing a bit better than that. She's got everyone's strength, and mine and Tara's magic."

His eye widened and he took a deep breath. "That's going to help," he commented.

Willow nodded, laughing quietly. "She's pretty excited about being the super-Slayer."

"How much magic does she have?" he asked curiously. "Can you and Tara teach her any spells or something?"

Willow shrugged, careful not to disturb Tara. "We probably can. We need to figure out what we're going to do next. We can't just let Amy hand the scythe over to Twilight."

"Well, unless she can clear the avalanche out of that pass by tomorrow, she's trapped. We have a couple of hours to figure out some way to get it back," he said encouragingly.

They all looked up at Buffy as the Slayer whistled loudly to get everyone's attention, Tara jumping awake at the noise. "Okay, it's good to have you all back. Is anyone hurt?" No one spoke up and she nodded, continuing, "Just to fill you all in, Willow worked some major mojo and got me my powers back with a good bit of all of your powers to boot."

The girls cheered and Faith smirked. "I could still kick your ass, B," she said cockily.

Willow laughed from where she was still sitting with Tara and shook her head, rubbing her wife's shoulders gently. "You might not want to try it, Faith. She just about cracked some of my ribs through my vest when she hugged me earlier," she cautioned, surprised when Tara immediately sat up, pulling away from her. "Tara, what?" she questioned, confused as her attention shifted from the squabble between the Slayers to her wife.

The blonde witch turned her head to look at Willow, one hand resting carefully on her wife's abdomen. "Sweetie, I didn't mean to, did I hurt you?"

Willow shook her head, pulling her back. "Of course you didn't. Come back here, please?" Tara relented, letting Willow guide her back into her arms, too tired to argue and missing the comfort of being cushioned by her lover's body. Willow wrapped herself tightly around Tara again, smiling peacefully. _"You're silly, love. You could never hurt me."_

"_If your ribs are hurt, I can sit somewhere else,"_ Tara reasoned even as she snuggled closer, her head dropping onto Willow's shoulder, her eyes blinking slowly.

"_Nothing hurts anymore. I promise. I don't want you to go anywhere,"_ she promised, meeting her wife's eyes solidly. Tara sighed, watching carefully for any sign of discomfort as she relaxed against Willow and they resumed listening to Buffy and Faith bicker.

"Does anyone have any ideas?" Giles prompted, shooting the Slayers looks of reproof. They flushed, stopping their scuffle immediately.

"Tara and I can teach Buffy some spells. She's got magic now, they won't be expecting her to have it, much less know how to use it," Willow suggested, stroking one hand over Tara's hair and giving Xander a smile.

Buffy grinned excitedly. "So now I get to learn spells too? This is so cool!"

Dawn rolled her eyes at her sister. "So _now_ it's cool to learn magic? You flipped out at me, but you get magic powers accidentally and it's cool now?"

The Slayer shrugged, unrepentant. "Pretty much."

Her Watcher cleared his throat, his own eyes rolling. "Lest you forget, we're still in a great deal of trouble here, Buffy."

She sobered up quickly, glancing around the cave at her troops, all of them exhausted and battered, but willing to follow her lead. "Will, can you start teaching me some stuff? We'll see how much I can get down tonight and see where we're at in the morning." She glanced at Riley. "How soon will they be able to dig themselves out?"

He thought for a moment. "Probably a day. Your girls did a number on them. There are probably less than half that will be able to work on digging them out. Amy could do it faster, but she's lazy, she won't help."

Buffy nodded. "Okay, then I want you all to get some sleep. I'll wake you up at first light and we'll figure out exactly what we're doing."

The girls agreed without complaint and stretched themselves out to try and get as much sleep as they were able in the remaining hours before dawn. Faith nudged Buffy to get her attention, pointing to where Satsu was looking over her girlfriend's injuries carefully while Kennedy did her best to dissuade her. Buffy grinned at her counterpart, clapping the dark-haired Slayer on the shoulder as Faith went to find somewhere to rest. Her eyes fell on Willow and Tara next. The blonde witch was obviously exhausted and moved sluggishly as Willow gently extricated herself from between her wife and the cave wall.

The redhead leaned over to press a kiss to Tara's hair before she turned to follow Buffy outside the cave. She stopped in confusion as she reached the Slayer and Buffy didn't move, a smile lingering on her mouth. The Slayer pointed over her shoulder and Willow turned to see Tara on her feet, following the pair slowly, her feet dragging.

"Honey, where are you going?" Willow asked, walking quickly back to her.

Tara took her hand, smiling as Willow's free hand immediately rose to her forehead. "I'm coming with you."

Her wife blinked in surprise, shaking her head. "You need to sleep, baby. You're exhausted," Willow objected.

"I'm coming with you," Tara repeated stubbornly and Willow sighed in exasperation.

She looked to her friends for support. Buffy just shrugged, smiling and Xander merely held a coat out to Tara. The blonde took it and slipped it on, yawning as she met Willow's eyes, but steady on her feet and her eyes becoming more alert by the second. Willow rechecked her forehead and both cheeks before carefully tucking Tara's long hair into her jacket and pulling the hood up over her head.

Tara gave her a dazzling smile and leaned in to kiss her quickly. "Thank you," she said quietly, laughing as she heard Willow grumble under her breath about stubborn women. She squeezed her wife's hand and Willow immediately squeezed it back as they moved out of the cave.

They didn't get too far away, wanting to give their troops peace to sleep, but not willing to risk getting too much distance in case something happened. Willow was careful to keep Tara out of the wind as much as she could, stopping them in a small stand of trees within eyesight of the mouth of the cave.

They started simply, teaching Buffy basic spells so she could get used to the feeling of using the magic. They intensified the spells they taught her gradually, working up to more powerful spells. Her power was so strong that by the time Riley came out to check on them a few hours before dawn Buffy was able to freeze him as still as a statue and move his immobilized body through the air at her whim. She put him down, giggling at his disgruntled expression as she let him go.

Willow had started a fire after they'd all confessed to being uncomfortably cold and she charged Tara with the task of sitting and watching to make sure it didn't go out. She dragged a log over for her wife to sit on and gently forced her to take the seat.

Riley shuffled his feet, speaking almost hesitantly. "I was just coming out here to check on you, see how it was going. I was going to keep watch for the rest of the night, maybe patrol a little bit."

Buffy arched an eyebrow at him. "I doubt there's much out there to hunt for that resembles anything we normally patrol for, but knock yourself out. Just be careful," she cautioned.

"I will," he agreed. "I just didn't want you to hear something out there moving and attack me on accident."

They could barely see his face in the dim light and Tara frowned thoughtfully as she sat, watching him closely as he lingered on the outskirts of their clearing. "Riley, where's Sam?" she asked, keeping her eyes focused on him.

"Sam? How do you know Sam?" he questioned, shifting his weight on his feet.

Tara shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't. Willow mentioned you were married last time they saw you. I was just wondering where she is."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "She's sick. She's in a coma."

Willow frowned, glancing between her wife and the tall Marine. She could tell Tara was thinking hard about something, but couldn't figure out her goal in questioning Riley. "Oh no, is there anything we can do to help?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

He shook his head. "No, I'm kind out of options. I'm doing the only thing left for us to do."

There was a long moment of silence and Tara got to her feet, aware that Buffy and Willow were both staring at her. "Do you really think Twilight can save her?" she asked, not raising her voice.

He blinked, his shoulders shuddering and he stared at her without speaking for a long moment. "I had to do something, Tara. The doctors only gave her six months. He's already given her a year." His voice conveyed his pain. "Would you have done any different if it was Willow?"

Tara glanced at her wife, shaking her head. "No. I would do anything it took to save her." Willow moved through the snow to Tara's side, taking her hand and keeping a cautious eye on Riley.

Buffy sighed heavily. "So what are you going to do now? I'm sure Amy and Warren are waiting for you to check in."

Riley groaned. "Buffy, what do you want me to do? You tell me! What can I do? I don't have a choice here."

"You could have told us, Riley. Did you really think we wouldn't help you?" Buffy asked, stepping closer and getting in his face, not touching him but letting him feel her proximity.

"I tried everything! Do you really think I would have let it come to this if I had any other option? Nothing worked; not medicine, not magic, nothing. I don't even know what they've done exactly, but it's working! Sam's alive because of them!"

Tara spoke up gently. "I know you don't want to hear this, but sometimes people die and there's nothing we can do, nothing we _should_ do to stop it." She gave Buffy a sympathetic look. "Joyce died and there was nothing we could do. Buffy died and we didn't stop it, but we reversed it and it was a mistake." She opened her mouth to apologize as soon as she finished her sentence.

The Slayer shook her head, cutting off her friend's apology before it could start. "No, Tara, it's okay. I know what you mean. Bringing me back messed us all up for a long time." She glanced at Willow, sharing a long look with her best friend.

"I would never tell you not to try to save your wife," Tara said. "It's just that sometimes there's nothing else we can do."

"But it worked!" he objected. "She's still alive because of whatever they did."

Buffy sighed. "Haven't you learned your lesson about mixing science and this world, our world?" she asked, gesturing around them. "Didn't that crap with Professor Walsh teach you anything?" she demanded. "Is it worth having Sam alive if you don't even know what they did to her? She might not even be human anymore, did you think about that?"

He dropped to his knees in the snow, defeated, his head tilting back to look up at her. "You have to help us, Buffy," he pleaded, hands resting on his legs. "Please."

The Slayer stayed silent, meeting the witches' eyes over the fire. Willow shrugged, her expression clearly showing her confusion and doubt.

"_How'd you know?"_ the redhead asked, glancing at Tara in the firelight.

Her wife shrugged minutely. _"I'm not even sure myself. There was just something in his eyes. I haven't seen him up close since he showed up and when he came out here, I could just see that there was something wrong. He hasn't even mentioned his wife. It seemed like a reasonable guess."_

"_He was on his own before they hit the temple,"_ Willow realized. _"And before we went in to rescue you. He's been warning them."_

"_He's only been doing what he thought he had to. He obviously has been conflicted about it, or he would have let you and Buffy walk into the ambush at the monastery and we would have gotten caught trying to leave their camp."_ Her eyes met Willow's solidly. _"I would do the same thing if it was you in a coma."_

"_No, you wouldn't do anything to compromise the kind of person you are baby, and that's okay, because you understand that sometimes there's nothing that can be done. But we can both relate to the feeling." _Willow lifted one arm, wrapping it around Tara's shoulders and pulling her to lean against her own body. "You're amazing," she murmured into her ear, resting her forehead against blonde hair. Tara wrapped her arms around Willow's hip and nestling closer to her wife's warmth.

Buffy sighed, one hand dropping to rest on Riley's shoulder. "Where is Sam? Is she with Twilight?"

He shook his head, meeting her eyes. "She's at a hospital back home, in the States. Iowa."

"So, where is he? Hell, _what_ is he?" she demanded.

Riley shook his head. "He's not like anything we've ever seen. He's not a demon I've ever seen, but he's not human either."

"He's not a god, is he? I don't have my troll hammer anymore," Buffy asked, groaning.

He gave her a look of confusion. "I don't think so. He looks human to me. He's always wearing that mask though."

"And he's stronger than any human I've ever fought. You've seen him go into the sun, right?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I've seen him in the sun, but he's always covered. He wears long sleeves all the time and his mask. If he was a vampire, he'd still smoke in the light though."

She let out a huff of frustration. "How can I take him down, Riley? You've got to give me something. I've only ever seen him once and he trashed me."

The soldier was silent, thinking. He finally shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind. I'm sorry, Buffy."

She nodded. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Riley, get back to the cave and wake up Giles and the Watchers. Go over every move you've seen Twilight make, anything that seems out of the ordinary, his habits, his schedule. Maybe something will ring a bell for one of them."

He nodded, standing up and moving quickly out of the clearing. He paused on the edge, not facing them. "Thank you, Buffy."

She stared into the fire. "If you're going to betray us again, just go ahead and do it," she cautioned him. "Don't make me come after you."

"I'm not." His voice came back quietly.

"Even if we can't save Sam?" the Slayer clarified.

"Even if you can't save Sam," he agreed, the snow crunching under his boots as he walked away.

There was a moment of quiet as the girls all stared at each other. Willow jumped in surprise as she heard one of the trees behind her creak ominously, shattering loudly after a second and falling with a thunderous crash.

"Buffy, did you do that?" she asked, her head whipping back and forth between the missing tree and the Slayer.

She shrugged sheepishly. "I think so. I was kind of mad and it just happened."

Tara pointed at the fire. "Concentrate and try and make it bigger," she said, taking several cautious steps back from the flames.

Buffy stared at the fire in silence for several minutes with no effect and she sighed in frustration. "It's not working. And I don't know how I made the tree explode. It just happened. Maybe it was a fluke or something!"

Willow moved to stand next to Buffy. "Concentrate on the fire," she said and Buffy sighed, going back to staring into the fire. She was surprised when Willow stomped on her foot. A second later, the witch was flying through the air and the flames of the fire were dancing four feet tall. Tara used her power to catch Willow before she hit anything and put her down gently in the snow.

The redhead was grinning as she sat up. "Overreact much?" she asked Buffy.

The Slayer could only shrug sheepishly. "Sorry, Will. You stomped on my foot!"

"But it worked," Willow declared as Tara came over quickly to check on her.

"Sorry I had to drop you, baby, I'm still kind of weak," the blonde apologized as she helped Willow to her feet, brushing snow off of her.

Willow shrugged, giving her a quick kiss. "It's okay. You kept me from hitting any trees. Thank you," she said, leading Tara back to sit on the log next to the fire. "Now you have a job to do, remember? We can't have the fire going out."

Tara arched an eyebrow, rolling her eyes, but sat down dutifully while she tried to conceal a shiver from Willow's sharp eyes. The redhead pulled her wife's hood up more snugly and squeezed her hand before she moved back to Buffy.

"That was good. You just have to do that again without anyone jumping on your toes," she said. "Oh, and without throwing me across the clearing, please?" she requested. Buffy started concentrating again but nothing happened. Willow lifted one foot threateningly and the flames shot up immediately. "So you can do it if you're threatened. So it should be no problem once we get to Twilight."

Buffy nodded, laughing. "I guess so. What else should I learn how to do? I don't think we have much time left before dawn."

"Shields?" Tara suggested and Willow nodded her agreement.

The redhead explained the spell Buffy would need and went to the far side of the clearing and started balling up snow balls. She started throwing them rapidly, her magic creating more faster than she could have done it physically. The first few pelted Buffy before she managed the speak the spell, the other projectiles deflected as she created a shield.

A few got through as she lost her concentration but she quickly mastered the technique, even managing to use her new powers to catch the snow balls and start returning fire on the witch. Willow raised her hands for a cease fire after a while, seeing the sky lightening up over the mountains all around them. She carefully banked their fire and they walked back to the cave.

As soon as they entered Willow pulled Tara to the wall and pushed her down gently to sit. The redhead got down on her knees with her. "You just sit here and I'll be back in a few minutes, okay? I know you're exhausted, sweetheart. You need to rest."

Tara nodded, finally too tired to argue. Willow pecked her on the forehead and started to stand up, surprised when Tara's grip on her jacket kept her from getting to her feet. The blonde leaned forward as Willow looked back at her, kissing her gently. Her wife adjusted to the unexpected kiss rapidly as Tara deepened it, her own hands coming up to Tara's face, moving forward on her knees until she was practically in Tara's lap. The blonde leaned back against the wall, giving her more room, her hands sliding around Willow's waist, pulling her closer and keeping her in the kiss.

They were slow to break the kiss, both breathing hard as they finally did. Willow's head dropped to Tara's shoulder as she settled herself more comfortably on her wife's lap, knees on either side of Tara. "What was that for?" she panted, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.

Tara's hands moved gently up and down Willow's back, catching her breath. "You haven't kissed me properly since you got me back. I've been waiting for you to do it, but you've been handling me like I'm going to break."

Willow shook her head against Tara's shoulder, pressing a kiss to her neck. "I didn't mean…I'm sorry, baby. You were sick and I know you're tired." She sat back to look her in the eye. "Forgive me? You know I've been dying to kiss you like that."

Tara smiled, leaning in for a short kiss. "Of course I forgive you." The smile turned into a smirk as she leaned back against the cave wall. "Just don't let it happen again, okay?"

Willow smirked right back. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, honey. Though if that kiss is my reminder, it might slip my mind every once in a while," she teased playfully.

Tara sat forward quickly to nip her neck gently, applying pressure with her teeth and then soothing the bite with her tongue, feeling Willow tremble against her and dimly hearing her muffled "Oh God!" Tara smiled proudly against her skin, dropping one last kiss on her neck before she pulled back.

"Mean," Willow commented. "Starting something we can't finish here," she said, glancing around the crowded cave, most of the girls still sleeping.

Tara sighed and ran her hands over the tops of Willow's thighs. "Sorry, baby," she apologized. "If I remember correctly, I was promised-slash-threatened with a week in bed. I'm going to hold you to that."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "The promise, or the bed?" she asked teasingly.

Tara ran her eyes obviously over her wife's frame. "If you're good, maybe both," she teased right back, and Willow's eyes shut tight instantly.

"Tara," the redhead groaned, dropping her head back onto her wife's shoulder. Tara ran both hands soothingly down her back, holding her tight.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." She sighed. "Well, I did, but I didn't mean to tease you like that." She pressed a kiss to Willow's temple. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," Willow breathed. "I should go help Buffy wake up the others." She sat back carefully. "I should get off of you."

Tara shrugged, smiling while trying to hold back a yawn. "You don't have to. I like having you there."

Willow smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You rest here and I'll be back in a few minutes to be your pillow, okay?" Tara's smile was soft and sleepy, her eyes blinking slowly. "You just relax. I'll be right back," Willow said quietly, reluctantly forcing herself to stand up.


	31. Chapter 30

Buffy was talking to the Watchers quietly, keeping their voices down while the slayers slept around them. Willow joined them while Giles was talking.

"The only thing that comes to mind based on Riley's information is a being called an Allu. They're known for being destructive."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "What makes you think this is our demon? Twilight hasn't been especially destructive that we know of. So far, he's just been out to get _us_."

"Not a demon Buffy, a demigod," he corrected her and she blanched, wiping her hands unconsciously on her pants. "Riley mentioned that no one has seen Twilight's face. The Allu are faceless. They can change their form, but are unable to create a face for themselves. He might look human in every way, but can do nothing to give himself a face. That could very well be why he's wearing the mask."

Buffy grimaced. "He doesn't have a face? That's gross!"

Giles gave her a look, silencing her. "And the destructive style of the Allu is to create as much chaos as possible with as far reaching effects as they can manage. Random romping and stomping isn't their style. They typically put a lot of effort and planning into their…activities. It's likely that Twilight's destructive instincts have been focused by the rise of the Slayer line. When there was only one Slayer his destructive impulses could be indulged with relatively little fear of destruction by the Slayer as long as he stayed away from the Hellmouths. Since there are now slayers all over the world, the chances of being discovered and destroyed are much worse for the Allu. That's likely what prompted his focus on destroying the slayers, and you in particular, Buffy." He sighed heavily. "The military is just giving him greater strength out of fear for themselves."

"So what do we do? How can I kill a demigod?" Buffy asked, cracking her knuckles anxiously.

Giles shook his head. "The scythe is the only thing that will kill him. He's impervious to all but mystical weapons."

Willow spoke up at that. "Not to sound conceited or anything, but couldn't I be considered a 'mystical weapon?'" she asked. "I mean, I'm strong, you know, mystically."

Giles pursed his lips in thought. "That's a good thought, but I'm sure if it was as simple as using magic to defeat him, Twilight would have been killed long before now."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe there's something else I can do though. There's no one else on earth who's as familiar with the magic of the scythe and the slayers as I am."

Giles nodded, cleaning his glasses compulsively. "What are you thinking of?"

She shrugged. "Maybe Tara and I can create a mystical weapon that draws on the same power that the scythe does."

Buffy raised one hand cautiously. "Could I help? I mean, I'm borrowing your mojo, and I _am _the Slayer. I can probably do something to help if you and Tara can tell me what to do."

Giles nodded. "It's a good idea, but you should make an attempt to retrieve the scythe from Amy as well."

The friends exchanged looks. "Tara and I can handle trying to make the weapon. You're the best one to go after the scythe," Willow said, glancing around at the sleeping girls. "Are you going to take the girls?"

They were surprised when several of the slayers, including Faith and Kennedy, sat up around the cave. "She's taking us," Faith said firmly as she pushed herself to her feet. "You may have all the fancy magic now, and you might have our abilities, but we're still slayers."

Buffy stared at her friends, her soldiers, and nodded firmly. "Okay, well that's settled. Does anyone know where they're keeping the scythe?" she asked, confused when the girls all glanced around the cave at each other, no one speaking but everyone suddenly tense.

Finally Xander stood up, glancing over his shoulder to where Tara was sitting, watching the proceedings carefully. He turned back to Buffy when Tara gave him no sign and started to speak. "I, well, I might have an idea where to start…"

Buffy glanced at Willow, the witch giving her a confused look right back, but not missing the look that had passed between Tara and Xander. Tara saw Willow's eyes moving around, and she pushed herself to her feet. "I know where it is," she said quietly. Xander gave her a surprised look and she lifted a hand, shaking her head at him. "It's okay, Xander."

Willow walked towards Tara, brow furrowed in confusion. "Tara, what's going on? How do you know where it is and no one else is talking…" Her voice trailed off slowly as she put the pieces together. "Tara…" Her voice was firm now. "What did they do to you?"

The blonde witch looked at Buffy, the Slayer standing behind Willow with a look of horror and sorrow on her face as she realized the truth. "Buffy, Amy has the scythe in the tent. Last I saw it, it was under her…their bed. In a footlocker. She's got it sealed with magic, but you should have enough power to break it out, or bring the whole case back and Willow or I can open it." Her eyes shifted to Willow, tears swimming in the witch's green eyes as she stared at her. Tara sighed, extending her hand to her wife. "Come with me, Willow. I need to talk to you."

Willow's hand took hers tightly and they moved to the mouth of the cave. She started pacing as soon as they were outside, leaving Tara standing quietly, waiting for the inevitable explosion. It didn't take long for it to come, Willow's hair whipping across her eyes as she spun to meet Tara's eyes.

"How could you not tell me?" she demanded, her voice more sad than angry and Tara felt a stab of pain that had nothing to do with her torture at Warren's hands and everything to do with the fear that was filling her wife's eyes.

Tara was surprised to feel tears burning at the back of her eyes and she swallowed them back. "Baby, I was going to tell you, I promise you I was, I just wanted to wait until…after."

"After? After what?" Willow questioned, pacing again, her frantic worry not allowing her to be still.

Tara's arms swung, gesturing around them. "After _this_. After we were safe. After everything settled down some." She stepped in Willow's path, wrapping her arms tight around her. Willow's forehead was pressed tight against her chest and she didn't move, just breathing hard against Tara's shirt. "I was going to tell you," Tara reiterated. "I was just trying to keep you calm."

Willow's voice was muffled but Tara could still hear her. "You don't trust me," she breathed, her arms hanging limp at her side, making no move to return Tara's embrace.

Tara pulled back instantly, pushing Willow's face up with one hand. "Willow! How could you think that? Of course I trust you. I trust you with my life."

"You didn't tell me that they hurt you," she objected, tears welling in her eyes as she traced a hand over Tara's face, eyes looking for any sign of a wound. "Tara, they hurt you and I wasn't there to stop them."

"Honey, the _only_ reason I was going to wait to tell you was because I didn't want to scare you. You'd have come for me, I know that, but they could have killed you if you'd rushed in," Tara said, leaning into Willow's touch as her hand trailed over her cheek gently. "Remember what happened with Glory? She hurt me, and you rushed in, and you almost died. I couldn't take the chance. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Willow. I love you so much. Too much to let you get hurt because of me. They wanted me to call to you. They didn't know I could do it where you would hear me, but they wanted me to scream for you. I wanted you there, I know you would have come, but teleportation isn't easy, you'd have had to recover and they would have been able to get you. I couldn't let them hurt you too…"

"What if they had killed you, Tara? Did you think about what it would have done to me if we'd come to get you and you were just _gone_!" Willow demanded, her tears breaking and rolling down her cheeks.

Tara pulled her wife's head into her shoulder, Willow's arms coming up around her back, sobbing against her. Tara's hands stroked gently through Willow's hair, trying to soothe her. "Shh, sweetheart. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm right here, baby. They weren't trying to kill me. They just wanted to hurt you by hurting me. I wouldn't have let that happen. I wouldn't have just sat there and let them kill me. I promise you. I'm right here with you. I'm never going to leave you." She had tears of her own streaming down her face now too and she clung to Willow, trying not to shake against her.

"I mean it Tara, you're never leaving my sight again. Not ever," Willow groaned against her neck and Tara nodded, keeping her arms tight around her.

"I love you, Willow," she breathed, and her hands pulled Willow's head back to look her in the eye. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you what happened, but I love you! I love you, and I'm fine."

Willow nodded, leaning in for a quick but deeply passionate kiss. "You have to tell me what they did to you," she said as they broke apart, both breathing hard. Tara immediately shook her head in objection but Willow stopped her with a look. "You made me show you when they took me, so you have to do the same for me." Her hand brushed tears from Tara's face. "I won't be mad, I promise," she said. Tara arched a skeptical eyebrow and Willow corrected herself. "I won't be mad at _you_. I already hate _them_, so it's no big deal if I'm furious at them for touching you."

Tara sighed, shaking her head, but Willow just gave her a firm look and the blonde relented, trying to be as vague as possible about the torture they'd put her through. Willow was fuming by the time she finished, pacing again while Tara was sitting against the edge of the cave mouth, still exhausted from her second night without sleep.

Willow was snapped out of her mental tirade against Amy and Warren as Tara started coughing, the blonde leaning forward with her arms wrapped around herself. Willow was beside her in a second, dropping to her knees next to her wife, rubbing her back soothingly. "Baby, I'm sorry. It seems like forever since you woke up sick, but that was really just yesterday, wasn't it?" Her arms helped Tara to her feet. "Let's get you inside the cave, get you warmed up," she directed, guiding the other woman back inside.

Tara hesitated and Willow stopped, looking back at her in confusion. "Do you forgive me?" she asked, meeting Willow's green eyes.

The redhead nodded, taking a deep breath. "Of course I forgive you. Just, please don't hide anything from me. Whatever it is, whatever's going on, just tell me."

Tara nodded quickly. "I will, I promise. I'm so sorry, Willow."

The redhead hushed her gently, resuming pulling her back into the cave. She could feel Buffy and Xander's anxious eyes on them as soon as they entered, but she ignored them, walking Tara to the back of the cave, trying to find any spot that was warm. She finally settled for somewhere less cold, pulling Tara into her arms as she sat down on the floor, finding a rough army blanket that had been abandoned by one of the slayers and wrapping it around them, rubbing her hands up and down her wife's arms to warm her up.

"You okay, baby? Is this okay?" Willow asked, her mouth close to Tara's ear. The blonde nodded, snuggling back into her.

They were silent for a moment and Tara spoke up quietly. "Are we okay?" she asked, turning her head against Willow's shoulder so she could look up at her.

"Yes, Tara. We're okay," Willow said, squeezing her gently.

Tara sighed, leaning closer. "It's just…you haven't…you didn't say it…"

Willow frowned, struggling to understand what Tara was trying to say, and figuring it out abruptly. "Tara Maclay!" she said sharply. "Of course I love you. I love you more than anything." She felt Tara's sigh of relief and pinched her side firmly. Tara flinched and Willow's fingers soothed the spot. "I'm sorry, but how could you even think that one fight could change that?"

"I didn't really." Tara sighed. "It's just been a long day and I needed to hear it."

Willow's head turned to press a kiss to her temple, lips moving to her ear. "I'll say it as many times as you need," she said quietly. "I love you, Tara." Her hands traced over Tara's fingers, once again long and straight, not twisted and broken like she said they'd been, the skin soft and milky, if cold, but whole and smooth instead of cut and bleeding. "You know, it kind of scares me how good you are at healing yourself," Willow mused quietly, rolling Tara's hand between her fingers, feeling the bones, straight and smooth, under her touch.

Tara was surprised. It was rare that either one of them mentioned her previous abuses, some of those scars still visible. It wasn't that Willow hadn't noticed, they'd spent a long night and day talking after Tara's disastrous birthday party, and Tara had laid out what her family had done to keep her under control, the very magic they were trying to beat out of her put to use to cover the bruises and repair the breaks.

Using the magic to heal another person was completely different from using it on oneself and it had been years since she'd had to make use of the healing abilities on herself, but she was abstractly pleased to see that she'd suffered no loss of skill, her fingers tracing unconsciously over where there had been a deep cut on her wrist, one Warren had made sure had missed any veins, not wanting to kill her, just hurt her and Willow.

"It kind of scares me too, Willow," Tara confessed, feeling Willow's fingers follow hers, moving slowly over her skin.

The redhead pressed a kiss to Tara's temple. "How about we make sure you never have to use it on yourself again?" Willow proposed.

Tara nodded wearily. "I'm okay with that," she agreed, eyes already closed as her body slipped closer to sleep.

Willow could feel the blonde's body relax as she got warmer, her breathing steady as she succumbed to sleep. Willow let herself relax finally, holding Tara in her arms and her tears flowed at the thought of what she'd come so close to losing again.

The others left them alone as they prepared for their mission, Buffy finally coming over to them. She knelt down in front of them, keeping her voice down. "You guys okay?" she asked, seeing Tara asleep. Willow nodded, meeting her friend's eyes. "Tara's okay, right? Amy didn't hurt her?" she asked, knowing that it wasn't true even as she spoke.

"They did, but she's okay now. She healed herself," Willow assured her, having used the connection to check for herself the second she'd figured out what had happened. "Are you and the girls ready to go?"

Buffy nodded. "I think so. Riley went to check in so they don't know anything is wrong. He thinks it'll buys us a little more time."

Willow nodded, taking a deep breath. "Do you think we can trust him?"

Buffy shrugged. "I want to think so, but I would have never picked him to betray us in the first place, so what kind of judge am I?"

The witch sighed. "So, do you think Riley was the betrayal Tichajt warned us about?"

Buffy nodded. "I think so. We were really relying on him, on his intel, and he's been screwing us over. And you and Xander or Dawn haven't betrayed us."

Willow shook her head. "You're right. Sorry, Buffy. I know how much you've been counting on him."

The Slayer heaved a heavy sigh. "Live and learn, I guess. I mean, I even had a warning about it."

"I think I've got an idea of another spell I can teach you to give you an edge," Willow said, trying to distract her friend from the subject of Riley and his betrayal. "You're not going to like it though," she said, giving Buffy a smile.

Buffy groaned, seeing the expression on her friend's face. "Not flying? Please tell me you're not talking about flying," she pleaded.

"It's fun if you just give it a try," Willow promised. "Twilight can fly, Buffy. It could help for you to be able to fly too. Level the playing field."

Buffy sighed again, nodding finally. "Okay, you can teach me to fly," she said reluctantly. She glanced around at the girls' preparations. "Do we have time before I leave?" Willow glanced down at Tara sleeping in her arms and Buffy put a hand on her friend's shoulder, smiling at her. "It's okay. We'll do it when I get back. Tara needs to sleep and you need to stay with her."

Willow nodded, smiling in relief at not having to drag herself away from Tara. "Thanks, Buffy. Hey, can you bring me a weapon or something to work on? I can try the spells to create a Twilight killing weapon while you're gone."

The Slayer nodded, returning after a few minutes with a sword. "Will this work?" she asked, handing it over carefully. "It's Faith's. She says she wants it back once you beef it up," the Slayer told her, grinning.

The witch laughed, nodding. She glanced down at Tara as the blonde witch moved against her in her sleep. Willow's hands soothed her gently and she fell back to sleep almost instantly.

One of the girls whistled for Buffy's attention and the Slayer got to her feet. Willow met her eyes seriously. "Be careful, Buffy. Amy's dangerous."

Buffy nodded. "I'm just trying to get the scythe back this time. We'll deal with her soon enough. Her and Warren have a lot to answer for." Willow nodded in agreement, her arms unconsciously tightening around Tara. Buffy rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back soon. Good luck."

"You too," the witch responded as the Slayer left. Willow put Faith's sword to the side, unwilling to move Tara away from her. Her eyes dropped closed, concentrating on the essence of the Slayers.

* * *

Buffy could feel Willow and Tara's magic rushing through her veins as they drove through the silent snow back towards their enemy's camp. They could hear the avalanche removal efforts long before they could see them. They stopped their trucks in the forest closest to the camp, everyone remembering their plan.

Satsu, Kennedy, and Faith were each leading what was left of their squads around the edge of the camp. The mountain pass was still packed with snow and there was nowhere for the soldiers to retreat to. They had their weapons ready, swords as well as guns. Buffy was with Xander, sneaking into the tent while their troops cleared them a path and kept any troops that might be patrolling away from them. They found the tent to be empty and the footlocker was exactly where Tara had said it would be and they dragged it out.

There was a scuffle outside and they dropped the case, both reaching for their guns. They could hear blows being exchanged and Amy charged through the entrance of the tent, energy crackling between her fingers. Buffy murmured the shield spell Willow had taught her while Xander kicked over a table, placing it between them and the witch.

Faith rushed in behind her, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead, a swollen contusion on her jaw. "Your freaky skinless boyfriend is dead," she growled, bare hands flexing unconsciously. Her weapon was gone, somewhere outside, but it was clear that she wouldn't go down without a fight. "My best knife got stuck between his ribs. I think that means that you owe me a new knife. Oh, and our girls have got this place surrounded," she informed the witch.

"You've got nowhere left to run, Amy," Buffy said, keeping her gun trained on the witch, knowing that it would be useless against Amy, but not willing to reveal her own magical abilities unless it was absolutely necessary, knowing that she would need every advantage and trick she could muster to defeat Twilight.

"Give it up," Xander said from Buffy's side.

Amy glared at him, her eyes bright and furious. "Shut it, Harris. I could kill all of you without breaking a sweat."

"Try it, witch bitch," Faith ordered and Amy whirled to face her, lightning leaping from her hands towards the dark-haired Slayer and Buffy lunged, clearing the table easily and tackling the witch.

Her spell hit Buffy and the Slayer's back arched, a scream tearing from her throat. "Get the chest out of here," she groaned when she could breath again, punching Amy hard.

Faith moved to get the other end of the box, and she and Xander took it quickly out of the tent. Amy spit out a mouthful of blood, groaning.

"How? You're supposed to be powerless," she moaned, unable to struggle against Buffy's strength.

"Guess you heard wrong," Buffy said bitterly, looking up as Riley ran into the tent.

"Twilight's coming. We've got to get out of here," he said, taking in the scene rapidly. Even as he spoke there was a crashing rumble outside and she jumped off of Amy, following Riley from the tent without looking back.

They got back to the cave as fast as they could and Buffy did her best to cover their tracks.

Willow was still seated in the back of the cave when they returned, eyes closed and motionless. Her hand was resting on the sword and sweat was pouring down her face.

Tara had woken up at some point since they'd left, and was pacing, keeping an anxious watch over her wife. Her attention was diverted as the slayers came back into the cave. Faith and Xander pulled the footlocker off of the truck while Dawn and Riley helped the girls that had been injured in this latest offensive.

Buffy came over to check on Willow while Tara started deciphering the spells keeping the scythe locked away. It took a few minutes and some effort, but she opened the case, handing the scythe over to the relieved Slayer before leaning over to check on Willow again, dissatisfied with having to be away from her, even for a few minutes.

"She's okay?" Buffy asked, unconsciously running her hands over the grip of her weapon, feeling whole again because she had it in her hands.

At that moment Willow's eyes snapped open and she sucked in a rapid breath. Tara was on her knees next to her in an instant, her hands pushing the hair from Willow's face and pressing a cloth to her forehead, wiping her face gently.

"I'm okay," Willow assured them, catching Tara's hand against her cheek. _"I'm okay baby, I promise."_ Tara smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm not sure if it worked," she said, extending a hand. "Let me hold the scythe," she prompted, seeing the reluctance in Buffy's eyes. "Just for a second," she promised, smiling reassuringly.

Willow could feel the magic of the weapon as soon as she touched it, the power singing in her brain, zipping through her veins. She held it in one hand, her other hand touching the sword slowly. The power redoubled at the contact and she felt her whole body tremble.

"Willow?" She could hear Tara's concerned voice and it snapped her out of the haze of power and magic. She opened her eyes to realize that she was floating, her legs still crossed under her, but no part of her body touching the floor. Her hair floated in front of her eyes and she realized that it was white. In shock she dropped both weapons, immediately falling to the floor. "Honey, are you okay?" Tara asked, her hands tracing over her wife's face and hair quickly, the white hair already turned back to red.

"Does that mean it worked?" Buffy asked, looking between the two witches. "Will, are you okay?"

The redhead nodded, out of breath, but smiling. She tossed the sword to Buffy, the Slayer catching it automatically. "You tell me," Willow said. "How does it feel?"

Buffy's eyes closed. "It feels like it's mine," she breathed, turning her head as Faith joined them.

"But its still mine," the brown haired Slayer reminded her counterpart and Buffy handed the sword over with a smile.

"It's not as strong as the feeling the scythe gives me, but there's something there," Buffy said, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Good work, Willow," she congratulated the witch. "It might be enough to give us an edge. He knows the scythe can hurt him, he won't be expecting the sword can too."

Willow nodded, trying to catch her breath while the Slayers exchanged glances. "Make it count," she told her friends seriously. They nodded to her and returned to their troops, already making plans and leaving the witches alone.

Willow looked over at Tara, giving her a smile. "Now you know what to expect in thirty years when my hair goes white," she said quietly, teasing.

Tara laughed, hugging her tightly. "You're beautiful, Willow." She kissed her briefly. "You'll always be beautiful."

Willow smirked. "I might have more wrinkles to go with my white hair, and I don't think the white will go away next time," she said as if she was confessing a secret.

Tara shook her head, smiling affectionately. "You know I'll love every one of your wrinkles and all of your white hair, sweetheart."

Willow nodded, leaning her head against Tara's. "I know that." She could feel Tara's hands moving through her hair and she smiled. "Are you okay? Did you get any sleep?"

The blonde nodded. "You know I did. I was passed out on your chest."

Willow's smile widened. "I remember," she said quietly and Tara blushed, her face dropping against Willow's neck. The redhead sighed, pulling Tara closer. "I can't wait for this to be over. I just want be alone with you."

Tara nodded against her, wanting the exact same thing. "I know, Willow. I want it too." She pulled back unwillingly. "But we have to finish this. Then we can go home."

"We trashed our home, remember?" Willow asked, smiling sadly.

Tara nodded, her hand touching her wife's cheek softly. "Well, we'll just make a new one." She looked over her shoulder to where her friends were preparing for their battle. "All of us, together."

Willow nodded, smiling at her. "We should go help. We've got to make sure all of us are going to make it out of this." She smirked. "I'm going to teach Buffy to fly."

Tara laughed as they got to their feet. "That should be funny," she commented, smiling down at Willow as the redhead snuggled into her side, her arm wrapping around her wife's shoulder. "What can I help with?"

Willow squeezed her gently. "I'd really rather you were resting, but I know that won't happen, so could you help take care of the wounded? We're going to need the girls up and running."

Tara nodded, giving her a reassuring smile, covering her mouth as she yawned and giggling at Willow's immediate look of displeasure. "I'm okay, sweetie," she said, pressing a kiss to her temple. Her mouth moved closer to her wife's ear. "I'll rest again when you can."

They separated reluctantly as Tara reached the first of the wounded, giving Willow a kiss before she let her walk away. Willow squeezed her hand and joined Buffy, pulling her friend reluctantly to the mouth of the cave. Tara was amused to noticed that, true to her word, Willow didn't go far enough away that she was out of sight, and the blonde sent her wife a grin across the crowded cave as she looked up from her work several times to catch Willow watching her.

It didn't take long before Buffy was unwillingly taking to the air, the girls cheering as they watched their leader zip through the air, enjoying it despite herself after a few minutes of practice.

Tara got the girls patched up as best as she could and they all gathered in the cave to discuss their next move. Riley doubted that Twilight would come after them immediately, having to deal with the disarray they'd left his troops in, combined with the loss of Warren.

The news that Warren was dead had sent Willow into Faith's arms, spinning the surprised Slayer in a enthusiastic hug. Tara couldn't get excited that someone was dead, but she felt a wave of relief overcome her nonetheless.

Buffy and Faith organized their girls into squads, preparing to set up their last stand around the cave. They knew they couldn't avoid a showdown for much longer so they were doing the best they could to get ready, preparing the grounds surrounding their cave for battle.

Willow was surprised when Oz pulled her out of her conversation. She met his eyes, knowing immediately what he was going to say. "How's Bay?" she asked.

"Better, but not good," he answered.

She smiled reassuringly. "I'll take another look at her before you go." He blinked in surprise and she touched his arm gently. "I don't want my wife here any more than you want yours here, Oz. You guys should get out while you can. I can't stand the thought of Kelden in danger. You have to keep him safe."

He nodded. "You know I will."

She smiled. "I know you will," she agreed quietly, walking with him farther back into the cave to where Bay was resting.

Her color was looking better and she was sitting up, Kelden asleep in her arms. She gingerly handed her son over to her husband, lifting her shirt enough for Willow to check her wound. The witch gave her a smile before her eyes closed, her hand resting gently on the other woman's stomach.

When her eyes opened again, she was relieved to see that the wound had closed entirely, only a welt remaining to show where it had been.

"How's that feel?" Willow asked kindly, smiling at her again. Bay nodded, her fingers tracing over her own skin.

"Thank you, Willow," Oz said, smiling between the two of them as he helped Bay to her feet. The witch nodded, returning his smile.

They went back to join the others, deciding quickly that any girls that were too wounded to fight would leave with Oz, Bay, and the monks. They didn't know where they were going, but anywhere out of Twilight's path was safer than staying with the slayers.

The girls started warming up, sparring in the snow to loosen their tense muscles, unable to sit and wait for their enemies to get to them. Willow and Tara helped the wolves and the monks pack up anything they might need. Everyone was in the truck, and Oz stepped back, resting one hand on Willow's shoulder.

"You make it out of this, okay, Will?" he said quietly, ducking his head to meet her eyes.

She nodded, her own arms wrapping around his waist, hugging him tightly. "I will," she assured him, meeting Tara's eyes over his shoulder.

His hand was on the back of her head and she could feel him take a deep breath. "I could come back," he offered, and she shook her head, pulling back to see his face.

"Oz, no. You have to protect them." She mustered a smile, glancing around at the slayers. "I'll let you know when it's safe to come back to your monastery."

Oz nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be waiting." He turned to get in the truck, pausing with one foot on the step. "And Willow," he said, looking over his shoulder at her. "I only want to hear it from you, okay? Make sure you're around to tell me."

She bit her lip, nodding at him as she felt Tara's arm slide around her waist. "I'll be there," she said, looking up at Tara as she spoke. Tara nodded, squeezing her in closer.

They both looked up as the truck rumbled away from them, Willow carefully covering their tracks. She looked back at Tara as she felt the blonde witch inhale deeply and they were silent for several minutes, just holding each other.

"You okay?" Willow asked quietly.

Tara didn't answer, eyes studying Willow's face. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, her voice low.

The redhead's eyes slid closed and she shook her head. "No, but when are we ever ready?"

Tara smiled despite herself, pulling Willow's face into her shoulder as her own eyes slid closed. _"I love you, you goof."_

She could hear Willow's giggle against her shirt and the response came through her mind, clear as a bell. _"I love you more."_

The hit was a surprise, a force striking Willow's back, and knocking them both off of their feet.

It took Tara a second to realize that someone was on Willow's back, while the redhead was pressed against her front, and she was flat on her back in the snow. There was a rock under the snow next to her head and she whipped it at their assailant, the blow causing enough of a shock to give Willow time to shove their attacker off.

Amy was raging, her eyes wide and furious as she spat and growled spells at the witches. Willow got a shield up in time while Tara got to her feet, the redhead keeping herself between Amy and Tara.

"_Okay?"_ Willow checked, already hurling spells back at the other witch.

"_Fine, be careful," _Tara ordered, yelling out loud for the slayers.

Buffy and the girls raced into the battle as Twilight's troops made their appearance through the trees. Faith had her sword, but was keeping herself close to Buffy, waiting for an opportunity to use it against Twilight.

Tara's attention was riveted on the struggle between Willow and Amy, her magic reinforcing Willow's shield while Willow tried to find a gap in Amy's defenses.

"He's dead," Amy said, her voice barely recognizable.

Willow shook her head, her teeth gritted in effort. "I can't say I'm sorry, but I didn't kill him this time."

Amy's eyes shifted to Tara, their color blinking back and forth between hazel and pitch black. "He should have finished you when he had the chance. I won't waste the opportunity this time," she promised, launching a spell at the blonde witch.

She blocked it, sending the ball of explosive energy ricocheting away into the trees. "I'm not just going to sit here and take it this time, Amy," Tara responded as Amy's eyes widened, surprised at the power of the other witch.

Across the clearing, the slayers were putting the bunkers they'd managed to hastily erect to use, keeping themselves covered. Buffy looked up as Faith tapped her on the shoulder, pointing straight up.

The Slayer could barely see Twilight through the trees, his long coat blowing out behind him as he hovered over the battle, seemingly content to watch.

Buffy beckoned to him, surprised when he apparently agreed, landing lightly in the middle of the field, his troops freezing behind him.

"Slayer." He spoke quietly, but his voice echoed over the field of snow and Buffy cautiously moved out from behind her bunker, the scythe grasped tightly in her hand. "You're not as weak as we were lead to believe," he stated.

She shrugged, her eyes not leaving him for a heartbeat. "I'm full of surprises," she stated, walking slowly in the opposite direction as he started pacing in an arch towards her.

"It appears that you are," he said, his inscrutable mask unreadable and his tone of voice perfectly controlled.

Buffy only had a split second of notice before he sprung, shooting into the air, boots aimed for the spot where she had been. A one handed handspring got her out of the way, her amplified Slayer reflexes reacting before she could think. She landed lightly on her feet, her weapon held defensively in front of her.

"Very good," he complimented her, and she could hear the amusement in his tone. She restrained herself from rising to his bait, keeping herself quiet, eyes locked on him.

The next strike was even faster, his feet not appearing to touch the ground, his leg sliding to swipe her feet out from under her. She was level with his mask before she even took a breath and her knee snapped up to crack into his skull and he recoiled.

His hands straightened his mask fastidiously and she twirled the scythe in her fingers. She struck next, bringing the axe down in a lightning fast strike, a cut that would have split steel had it connected. She growled as he vanished from in front of her, her reflexes keeping the blade out of the ground and she instinctively kept the blade moving, the momentum swinging her arm into the follow through strike.

He wasn't there, and she hastily reoriented herself towards him, spinning in a circle to find him. He was in the air again and she braced herself, bending her knees slightly before she leapt, taking the battle to the sky, the stake end of her weapon aimed to go straight through his foot as she rocketed up to meet him.

She had no way to tell if he was surprised to see her display of ability, but he recovered in time regardless, and she had to change direction quickly to keep on him.

Once he realized that he couldn't lose her, their blows began in earnest, raining against the other with nothing held back.

Back on the ground, the troops and slayers realized that they were just standing and staring at the airborne battle and they lunged back into their own battle, bullets flying again rapidly.

Amy was struggling to overpower the double team of Willow and Tara, knowing that if either witch had been at full power the fight would have already been over, her powers no rival for the sheer willpower of either of the other witches.

However, the pair was not at full strength. In fact, Tara was struggling, her sickness and lack of sleep, combined with the energy she'd expended to heal herself after her torture, and the power she'd given up to Willow was all combining to drive her towards her breaking point all the faster.

Willow was drained from creating the new Slayer sword, but sheer determination was keeping her in the fight. Amy had noticed weaknesses appearing in the couple's defensive front, and she waited for an opportunity.

One of her spells managed to penetrate their shields and struck Tara, the blonde dropping back with a cry of pain. Amy moved to take her opening, but was stunned as her body flew back, colliding firmly with a tree, and not sliding to the ground, but held pinned several feet above the snow.

Willow's green eyes were blazing and bright, her face suddenly eerily calm. "Tara, you okay, honey?" she asked, not turning her eyes from the struggling witch she was holding pinned to the tree.

Tara got to her feet slowly, blood running from a cut on her forehead and her left hand pressing tight against a bleeding cut over her right collarbone. "I'm okay, Willow," she said, moving closer.

Willow turned her head to check for herself and her hold loosened for a split second as her attention was diverted. Amy's spell was quicker than lightning, hitting Willow with the force of a train and sending the red haired witch flying, engulfed in flames.

Amy only slid a few inches down the rough bark of the tree before she was back in a tight magical hold. She groaned as it squeezed her harshly, Tara's eyes angrier than she'd ever seen the other witch, even at the most painful part of her torture.

"You don't hurt my wife," the blonde growled, her grip never wavering as she rushed to check on Willow. She dropped to her knees in the snow next to the redhead's bleeding body, rolling her over to douse the flames on her back. She pulled her wife's shirt up to check the stomach wound, hearing Willow's painful gasps dimly over the blood pumping through her own head.

Their eyes met, Willow's jaw clenched in pain and her scrabbling hand found Tara's, squeezing tightly. "How's it look?" she ground out, unable to see anything except Tara's face, blonde hair falling around her like a curtain.

"You're going to be fine, baby," Tara said, forcing a teary smile onto her face. "I promise," she said, trying not to choke at the sight of all the blood, Willow's blood, now staining the snow.

Willow nodded. "Then I'm going to be fine," she said firmly. "How's Amy?" she asked.

Tara glanced unwillingly at the tree, scowling. "She's alive, for now," she said ominously, her eyes meeting Willow's as her wife squeezed her hand again.

"Tara, remember," she had to pause, gasping. "Oh God, remember, you said, don't kill her," she finished, gasping in pain, her back arching off the snow.

Tara's eyes slid closed, tears sliding from the corners and she used her power to help the belly wound, bleeding heavily, but fortunately not very deep. She finally nodded, eyes opening. "Where else does it hurt?" she asked.

"I think one of my arms is out of socket, and my leg is definitely broken," Willow answered. "But you don't have to strength to spare right now, Tara. You've got to help the others." Her hand tightened around Tara's and the blonde could feel Willow's remaining magic rush into her, giving her a jolt.

Tara's eyes were fearful as she found Willow's gaze. "I can't leave you here like this with no magic," she insisted, shaking her head.

"You have to, Tara," she insisted. _"I'll call if I need you. I've got enough juice left for that."_

Their eyes were locked for a moment and Tara nodded, tearful, pressing a kiss to the hand she was holding. "I'll be back," she promised and Willow nodded.

Tara reluctantly let her go, glaring at Amy as she stalked past her, leaving her locked solidly to the tree, unable to move at all. Tara's magic was everywhere as she reached the battle between slayers and soldiers, dissolving bullets with a gesture and sending the soldiers' guns flying.

Kennedy and Satsu waved their girls into pursuit as the soldiers, realizing their impotence against the strength of the witch, took off in retreat.

Faith and the Scoobies joined Tara, all eyes locked on the battle still going on in the sky.

"What's the plan?" Faith asked, bouncing the grip of her sword anxiously in her hands.

Tara didn't answer for a moment, watching. "Are you ready?" she asked, meeting Faith's eyes.

"For anything," the brash Slayer answered, sword at the ready instantly.

Tara nodded and Faith rose off the ground, arms pin wheeling wildly for a few seconds as she adjusted. "We've got to finish this quickly," Tara said. "I can only hold you up for a short time."

"How long?" Faith questioned, glancing at the empty space under her feet nervously.

"Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty? I don't have much left," Tara answered, her eyes sliding closed as she redoubled her concentration.

Faith nodded to the others. "I haven't met the thing I can't kill in twenty minutes," she said confidently as she floated higher, gaining speed quickly.

Faith struggled slightly with controlling her direction at first, but was quickly at the same height as the scuffling Slayer and demigod. He seemed to pay the new arrival no attention and Buffy was too caught up trying to land a killing blow.

Twilight twisted in the air as Faith brought her sword slicing through the air where he had been, his forearm coming up to block. He dropped several feet away from the Slayers in surprise as he registered the pain of the blow. Her strike would have taken his arm off if it had had her Slayer strength behind it, but as it was, she'd nearly reached the bone.

Buffy caught Faith as the other Slayer wobbled slightly in the air, the two girls staring down at their foe, hovering several yards below their feet. Twilight's hands rose, and they both tensed, expecting to feel painful magic rushing through them, but the demigod merely waved them closer.

Faith took the taunt, rocketing herself down at the creature. He spun to avoid her, his good arm already raised to block Buffy's strike. The frenzied battle resumed, Twilight careful to keep his whole arm on Buffy's side of his defense, knowing that the weak arm would stand no chance against a Slayer with her strength.

Back on the ground, Xander glanced around, suddenly noticing Willow's absence. "Tara, Willow?" he questioned even as his eyes found his friend's body across the field, his feet already moving towards her.

Dawn and Giles stared after him in surprise, both fearing the worst, and Tara's voice startled them. "She's alive. Dawn, can you go help him? Her arm is dislocated and her leg is broken, but she doesn't have any magic left."

The younger girl nodded, grabbing blankets from the truck they had left on her way. Giles lingered at Tara's side, seeing the trembling in her arms, the blood and sweat running down her face. He could feel her remaining power gathering, sparks starting to crackle from her fingers.

Tara's arm moved suddenly, slinging a powerful beam straight at the fighting trio in the sky. Her shot was perfect, splitting the air between the Slayers and smashing Twilight in the chest.

He plummeted and Buffy and Faith fell with him, their fight resuming instantly as they touched the ground. He was obviously struggling, a Slayer on either side of him, his arms and legs moving faster than sight to keep the two of them at bay. Faith had lost her strength, but none of her skill, and Buffy's amped up powers were more than making up the difference.

The two girls had fought together so often, both against each other and as a team, that they fell easily into a rhythm, starting to move around Twilight, keeping him too busy fighting them off to flee.

There was no visible signal that passed between the two, the moves coming almost automatically as they struck in the same second. Faith went low, her sword sliding in at a sharp upward angle, the Slayer on her knees behind him. Buffy went high, her scythe moving in a blistering circle, blade whipping through Twilight's neck.

It took a second for his body to fall, the Slayers scrambling backwards quickly, both still holding their weapons at the ready. The body collapsed into the snow and Buffy and Faith met each other's eyes over the corpse of their enemy.


	32. Chapter 31

The clearing was suddenly too quiet, the absence of noise deafening. Buffy was the first to move, falling onto her knees, the scythe dropping from her suddenly nerveless fingers. Her head dropped back to look up into the clear sky and she released a deep breath, feeling her adrenaline zipping through her veins.

Tara had scarcely recognized that it was over before she was running, snow flipping up behind her feet as she raced back to Willow's side. Xander was cutting poles for a makeshift sling to carry the injured witch in and Dawn was carefully wiping the blood away from the stomach wound with a sleeve of her shirt that she'd torn off and wet in the snow.

"Willow, I'm here. It's over, baby. It's over," Tara said quickly, leaning her head down next to Willow's, feeling the redhead move weakly against her. She sat back, meeting Dawn's eyes over Willow's prone body. "How is she?"

"The bleeding has slowed down some on her stomach, but her leg is broken really bad. We need to get her to a hospital, or a doctor, or something. I can't do anything for it," Dawn said regretfully, tears in her eyes as she looked down at the broken body of a woman she loved like a sister.

Her own sister raced up at that moment, stopping in shock at the sight of her best friend beaten and bloody. "She's okay, right?" she asked, worried, and Tara nodded, her eyes not leaving Willow.

"We've got to get out of here," Xander said, finishing his stretcher preparations and gently forcing Tara back so he could put the sling down next to the injured girl.

Buffy nodded, pointing Faith back towards the cave. "Get the stuff loaded up in the truck," she ordered, the dark-haired Slayer already moving. Buffy let out a shrill whistle to call the girls back in, the Scoobies wincing at the loud sound as the whistle echoed through the silent air around them.

All eyes snapped to Willow as she laughed weakly. "Good job, Buffy," the witch said, groaning, and the Slayer dropped to her knees next to her friend, taking her hand gently.

"Good work with you too, Will," she congratulated her friend, feeling the witch's fingers squeeze her hand weakly. "We're going to get you out of here," she promised.

Willow nodded, groaning. "That might not be such a bad idea," she moaned, her eyes closing.

Buffy lifted her old friend's feet, careful of her broken leg while Xander took her shoulders, moving her carefully to the sling under Tara's anxious gaze.

Tara took the foot poles of the sling from Buffy and they moved the injured witch to the truck, the scattered slayers joining them slowly, returning in response to Buffy's whistle.

Buffy and Giles were left standing at the tree where Amy was still suspended. Her eyes were the only part that could move and they were rolling in her head, glaring impotently at the Slayer.

"It would serve you right if we just left you there to starve, or get eaten by a bear, or a yeti, or something," Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest. "We know some werewolves that probably wouldn't mind devouring you."

A muffled noise was their only response, and the Slayer looked over at her Watcher, shrugging.

The older man adjusted his glasses, finally plucking them from his nose and wiping them on his ratty sweater. He held them up to the light, frowning at the lack of results from his dirty clothes and shook his head regretfully. "Do you really think that would be wise, Buffy? Amy has always proven unfortunately adept at worming herself out of sticky situations such as the one she's in now," he said, eying her distastefully.

"You think I should kill her?" Buffy asked nonchalantly, examining her fingernails closely and frowning as she discovered a hangnail.

Slayer and Watcher looked over as Tara joined them, speaking slowly. "I promised Willow we wouldn't," she said, seeing Amy's wide eyes.

"We can't just let her go though, Tara," Buffy said. "What do you think we should do with her?"

Tara was silent for a long moment, her eyes sliding closed. "Cigam esu ouy fi wonk lli."

Her eyes opened slowly and Giles had to catch her as she started to collapse. Buffy kept the scythe on Amy as the witch slid down the tree, suddenly released from her bonds.

"Tara? You okay?" she questioned, giving Amy no doubt that she would gut her happily if the witch made one wrong move.

"She's harmless now, Buffy. I blocked her from using spells," Tara said, straightening up slowly.

The Slayer blinked in surprise. "You can do that?"

Tara smiled bitterly at Amy. "Temporarily. But if you use one spell when your magic comes back, _any_ one spell, I'll know and I won't hesitate next time Amy," Tara warned her.

"It's over for you," Buffy reiterated, taking several steps back from the witch, not turning her back and keeping herself between Amy and her friends. "Let's get out of here," she said, Tara leaning heavily on Giles.

They got back to the truck, Faith behind the wheel while the other girls were piled in the back. They were all leaving Willow plenty of room, and Dawn and Xander were helping the wounded with the meager supplies they had.

Buffy waved as she climbed in and Faith started them moving, going in the same direction Oz and the monks had driven.

Tara took a seat next to Willow's stretcher, grateful that the redhead appeared to be sleeping. Her own eyes slid closed uncontrollably, her head dropping back against the side of the truck wearily.

It took them several hours to catch up to their friends from the monastery and night was falling, along with a fresh coating of snow.

They left Willow's stretcher in the truck and the slayers that could move freely got out, leaving the truck as a makeshift infirmary, the monks climbing in to look them over.

"Can you get us some light?" Xander asked, looking over his shoulder at Tara as he leaned over to help one of the monks.

She waved one hand absently and it took her a few seconds to realize that nothing had happened. She tried again, concentrating harder, but still nothing happened. Xander looked over at her again, barely able to see her face in only the light from the fire.

"I think I'm out," she said, embarrassed for some reason she didn't have the energy to figure out.

He smiled sympathetically. "It's okay, Tara. I'd be surprised if you had anything left." She nodded, head dropping back wearily. "You should lay down, rest some," he prompted, pushing a blanket in her direction. His smiled widened, became joyful. "We actually have time for it now," he said, his voice cautiously excited.

She returned his smile, her eyes drawn like magnets to the battered face of Willow and her smile faded. She leaned up quickly, her fingers gently probing at Willow's shoulder, the muscles swollen and stiff from hours in the cold.

Tara groaned and she waved Xander over. "Hold her still, but be careful of her leg. I've got to get her arm back in the joint. It's been out for way too long. It's going to hurt her when I put it back in," she warned him.

Her body jerked as the joint slipped back into place as gently as Tara could manage it and the groan that ripped from Willow's throat broke her heart. Her wife's green eyes opened groggily, squinting in the darkness.

"Where are we?" she asked hoarsely and Xander moved to jump down from the truck, going to get some water for her.

"We're at the camp with the monks and Oz and Bay, sweetheart," Tara answered, hand brushing over Willow's face lightly.

"Twilight?" she asked, frowning in confusion, her muddled brain trying to figure out what was going on.

Tara pressed a kiss to her forehead, Willow's head moving unconsciously to follow her lips. "He's dead, sweetie. Buffy and Faith killed him."

"Amy?"

Tara sighed. "We let her go, but I blocked her magic. I hope she freezes out here," she muttered, still angry, and Willow blinked up at her.

"I've never heard anything so harsh come out of your mouth," she said quietly and Tara shrugged, unapologetic.

"I don't forgive people who almost kill my wife," she stated. "I told her if she does one more spell, ever, I'll come and I won't be nice next time."

Willow's giggle surprised her and she looked down, amazed to see the beginnings of a smile on Willow's mouth. "I'm so hot for you right now," the redhead said and Tara blushed brightly, coughing as Xander appeared at the back of the truck, handing Tara the canteen he'd gotten. _"Not that I'm not always hot for you, Tara,"_ she added and the blonde choked on the sip of water she was taking.

She gave Willow a chiding look as she carefully put the bottle to the redhead's lips, tilting it slowly as Willow drank thirstily.

"Thanks, Xander," Willow called weakly and she felt the truck dip as he climbed back in.

"I got this from one of the monks," he said, holding up a rudimentary arm sling for Tara's inspection. She smiled gratefully at him. The two of them worked together to get it on Willow's arm, tying it carefully so that her elbow was suspended, taking pressure off her shoulder.

"I'm afraid there might be some muscles torn in that shoulder," Tara said, eyes searching Willow's injuries again in the darkness.

There was a sudden light and they all winced as one of the monks joined them, a lantern in his hands. "I heard that this young lady has a broken leg," he said, taking a spot next to the broken limb. His hands moved slowly over her leg and he grimaced, shaking his head. "This is going to hurt," he said sympathetically and Willow's good hand reached out to Tara.

The blonde took her hand tightly and Willow turned her head to look at her. "I'm sorry if I squeeze you too hard," she apologized even as the breath rushed from her lungs, a gasp of pain arching her back.

"Squeeze as hard as you need, baby," Tara urged her. "I'm right here. I've got you." Willow groaned, squeezing her hand tightly and Tara forced herself to watch as the monk set Willow's broken leg, breaks both in the long bone of her thigh and the bones of her calf. "It's almost over," Tara encouraged her. "You're so strong, Willow. Just a few more seconds, baby."

He finished, nodding at her and Willow gradually loosened her grip on Tara's hand, seeing the lines in her skin where her fingers had been clamped. She pulled it to her mouth, kissing the marks while she tried to catch her breath. She could feel the monk still moving around her feet, but it wasn't hurting so she couldn't force herself to care.

He measured two long sticks, each about an inch in diameter, against her leg, cutting one down slightly before he used pilfered belts to strap the sticks to the inside and outside of Willow's broken leg to keep her from bending it. She winced when he tightened the strapping and Tara jumped, but Willow's face quickly relaxed and Tara forced herself to do the same.

She knew there were burns to deal with on Willow's back, but she was loath to ask her to roll over and lying on either side was impossible, her sore shoulder on her left side and her broken leg on her right.

"Love, how's your back?" she asked, not seeing any way to help her with it, but not able to stop herself from asking.

Willow shifted slightly at the mention, hissing at the contact with the rough army blanket. "It feels like it's on fire, but there's nothing we can do about it at the moment," she said, repeating what Tara already knew.

The blonde sighed heavily, turning her head to see the others resting around the fire. Her eyes found Oz's and he waved silently, holding Bay in his arms, Kelden in her lap. She nodded back, her hand still held captive by Willow.

She found Kennedy and Satsu next. They were oblivious to the others, their heads close together as they whispered to each other. Tara smiled to herself, glad they were happy and that they had both lived to be together.

Buffy was lying flat on her back in the snow, seeming not to care that it was freezing, slowly falling snowflakes covering her face and hair. Her face was turned toward the fire and she was staring without seeing, the scythe in her hand. Giles and Dawn were sitting on a log behind the Slayer, the young woman leaned on the older man's shoulder.

Faith was the only one who wasn't sitting, restless energy keeping her moving around the camp. She was practicing with her sword, almost seeming to be reliving their fight with Twilight blow for blow.

Finally, Tara's eyes met Xander's one good eye in the dark interior of the truck and he smiled tiredly at her.

"You should get some rest," he said quietly.

She nodded. "You should too." She pushed the blanket he'd given to her back at him, but he shook his head, cocking his head toward the front of the vehicle.

"I'm going to try out the front seat for sleeping." A grin crossed his face. "It should be better than out there on the ground. Want to join me in the passenger seat?" he offered.

She shook her head even as Willow let out a noise of protest. "She's mine, Xander," Willow said groggily. "Quit trying to sleep with her," she said, her eyes closed while she struggled unsuccessfully to stay conscious.

Tara smiled as he laughed quietly. "She's right. I'm hers." She touched his shoulder gratefully. "Thanks, but I don't think I can be away from her right now."

He nodded in understanding. "I get it. Just make sure you actually sleep, Tara. You won't help her any by staying up all night watching her sleep."

She nodded, glancing down as she saw Willow nodding in agreement. "Okay, I know when I'm double teamed," she said and Xander grinned as he moved toward the front.

Willow pulled on her hand and she spread her blanket out, carefully covering her wife while she slipped under it with her, having to actively struggle against the instinct to snuggle close to Willow.

"Sorry, sweetie. This is as close as I can get," she apologized. "I don't want to hurt you accidentally."

Willow groaned her displeasure, but nodded, sticking her good arm out resolutely and waiting until Tara took it with her own. "Fine," she groused. "Love you, Tara," she murmured, already being dragged into oblivion.

Tara was struggling herself as soon as she was horizontal, sleep beckoning her powerfully, but she tucked their joined hands under her chin as her eyes slid closed. "Love you too, Willow."

* * *

The monks went back to their monastery, but the slayers traveled slowly in the other direction, choosing to head towards civilization instead of back towards the monastery. It took them several days to cross the mountains, finally reaching China and a city. One of the slayers spoke rudimentary Chinese and managed to get them pointed in the direction of a doctor.

While the doctors worked on the girls who were still wounded, Giles got them all booked on a flight back to England. The fight with Twilight was over, but Buffy was still wanted by the American military and England would provide a place to relax and recuperate while they decided what to do next.

Tara was relived to discover that Giles had booked Willow and herself in first class to give the redhead more room to deal with the cast that extended from her hip to her ankle, and the crutches that she was forced to use.

Their magic had been exhausted in the battle and neither witch had any sign of their powers returning. Willow was frustrated by her cast and the sling she was still forced to wear on her arm. Tara was doing her best to keep her wife comfortable, but it was difficult to balance the discomfort caused by each of her wounds.

They got back to England, taking up refuge in the country with the coven that had helped Willow overcome her bout with dark magic. It was comfortable and safe there, and the girls quickly grew to love it.

After a month with the coven, Willow and Tara's magic came back slowly, while Buffy's magic faded. Her Slayer strength had apparently hit a plateau, but wasn't fading the way Willow had expected. The other slayers were just watching and waiting, none of them getting their powers back the way they were expecting either. Willow's theory was that since Buffy was the Slayer, the powers belonged to her naturally anyway so they weren't going to just fade away like the witches' magic had done.

Their powers were still absent by the time they left the coven. They were still trying to figure out a way to spread them back to the other slayers when they moved to Cleveland to guard the Hellmouth there. They moved to the suburbs, the girls getting houses around the neighborhood. The Scoobies were hesitant to be away from each other after everything they'd gone through, and were used to living close together so they got a house together. Willow and Tara lived in the master bedroom while Buffy and Dawn each had a room upstairs and Xander lived on the ground floor of the house. Giles moved in across the street with Faith as a roommate.

As soon as they were back in the country, Tara, Buffy, and Giles went to Iowa to check in with Riley and Sam, see if there was anything they could do for her. Willow wanted to go with them, but she was still in her cast and it made travel difficult and frustrating for her so she reluctantly agreed to stay in Cleveland and oversee the moving. She promised Tara that she would stay on the couch and issue orders, letting the others do all of the unpacking and heavy lifting.

Giles had been doing research on what could have resulted in Sam's coma, both natural and supernatural illnesses. Riley had sent them her medical records, but he wasn't having much luck deciphering what could be done to make her better.

Riley was pacing in the hall when they arrived at the hospital, and he stopped to hug Buffy as she stepped in his path.

"How long have you been out here?" she asked sympathetically.

He shrugged, his eyes looking around the hall as if he'd never seen it. "It's pretty much all I do. I can't be in that room for more than an hour or two at a time."

Tara gave him a hug. "Have you gone home at all?" she asked.

The tall man shook his head dourly. "She's here and I've been on the road with Twilight for the last few months, this place is the closest to home I'm going to get."

Tara sighed, nodding as she stepped back. Giles shook his hand, his left arm full of books and papers. He'd heard of Riley's betrayal from Buffy, but couldn't let Sam suffer because of any anger he felt towards the other man. He'd put his full effort into finding a solution for the Marine's wife. Unfortunately, he'd been able to find anything concrete.

Riley scratched absently at the back of his head. "You guys can go on in, if you want," he said, gesturing to the door. He leaned back against the opposite wall, taking a deep breath.

Tara exchanged glances with Giles and Buffy, letting herself into the hospital room. Giles was a few steps behind her, leaving the Slayer and Riley in the hall.

"You've been here since you got back?" she asked quietly, sighing as he nodded, his eyes locked on the floor.

"I didn't mean to let it go so far Buffy, honest." He looked up at her. "I never wanted to betray you like I did, but it's…"

"It's your wife," she finished for him. "I know, Riley. I'm still not happy about it, but I don't blame you for wanting to save your wife."

"Thanks for coming out to help," he said.

She nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Thanks for getting the military off my back," she replied.

"Do you think they can save her?" he asked, his eyes locked on the door.

She followed his eyes. "You know Giles. If anyone can find a way, it's him."

He looked down at her, cracking a smile. "You've always been able to pull off miracles, Buffy."

She sighed, looking back up at him. "Riley," she opened her mouth to caution him, and he shook his head, cutting her off.

"I know, don't expect too much," he stated, his head dropping back with a thud against the painted wall of the hospital hallway.

Inside the hospital room, Tara had taken a seat in a chair, pulling it up close to the side of the bed and resting one hand over the comatose woman's hand. Her eyes slid closed and she extended her magic, reaching out with her power. She could feel Willow's power through their connection, but pushed her concentration onto finding out what was wrong with Sam.

She put every bit of her power into trying to figure it out, feeling the magic that was keeping Sam alive, but unable to find any other spells that were harming her. Her eyes opened slowly and she met Giles' eyes, shaking her head reluctantly.

"I can't find anything that's hurting her, just the spells keeping her heart beating," she told him regretfully.

The Watcher sighed, nodding as he studied her medical chart. "She's been in the coma for almost a year. They don't think it's likely that she'll come out of it. She's been on a ventilator since before Riley left to work for Twilight."

Tara nodded, letting out a deep breath. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked sadly, looking down at the other woman.

Giles rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "You know we'll do everything we can for her." Tara nodded up at him, resolutely pushing her feelings of hopelessness to the back of her mind.

"I'm afraid Willow would be able to do something that I can't. She would think of something I'll miss," Tara confessed quietly, looking at the woman on the bed.

Giles sat in a chair beside her, squeezing her shoulder to get her attention. "You're every bit as good a witch as Willow is, Tara," he said gently.

She shook her head at him. "Oh, I know that Giles. She's just more creative with the spells and things like that." She blinked back sudden tears. "I don't want anyone to die because I didn't think of something."

He leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head. "You're a dear one, Tara. Riley and Sam couldn't be in better hands, even if Willow was here."

She smiled weakly, nodding. "Thank you, Giles."

He stood up, his hand squeezing her shoulder again gently. "I'm going to speak to the doctors. You'll be alright?"

Tara swallowed, nodding. "I'm fine. I think I'm going to talk to Willow though, see if she has any ideas," she said, tapping her temple with one finger.

The elder man nodded, patting her on the shoulder as he turned to leave the room. Tara watched the door close behind him, letting out a deep breath.

"_Willow?"_

There was a laugh in her head and Tara smiled unconsciously. _"Were you expecting someone else?"_ she asked teasingly.

"_I miss you,"_ Tara said and Willow could tell immediately that Tara was upset.

"_It's bad? I can come…" _Willow offered.

Tara's eyes closed unconsciously, dropping her head into a hand. _"It's bad, but you don't need to come, baby. I know your leg would be uncomfortable on a plane for that long."_

"_I'm fine, Tara. I can come if you need me."_

"_I might just bounce some ideas off you if you don't mind. I know you're not up to traveling, no matter what you say," _Tara said, pulling her feet up onto the chair, leaning her forehead against her knees.

"_Tara…" _Willow started, letting out a deep breath after a moment and continuing. _"What do you have in mind? How's Sam doing?"_ she asked, relenting.

Tara let out a deep breath, feeling better that Willow was going to stay in Cleveland, listening to her. _"I'm afraid she's going to die, Will. She's been in a coma for almost a year and she's not breathing on her own."_

"_Tara, sweetheart, kindest person I know, and love of my life, it is not your fault if she dies. You've never even met Sam and she's been sick for a long time. It's nothing for you to feel guilty about,"_ Willow told her firmly.

"_I know that, but…"_

"_But you'll still feel bad no matter what, I know that," _Willow completed her statement. _"What can I do to help, love?"_

"_You're doing it. I don't know if I could handle this if I couldn't talk to you."_

"_I'm sure I can do more to help. Bounce those ideas off me and we'll see what we can come up with,"_ Willow offered, wanting to help.

"_Thank you, Willow,"_ Tara said, already feeling better despite the fact that they hadn't actually figured anything out. Just knowing that Willow was with her, helping her with this, was taking some of the weight off of her shoulders. She knew the odds were still bad, and they had warned Riley about the possibility that they couldn't help Sam, but she knew how she would feel if it was Willow lying in that bed, the lengths she would go to save her.

"_I'm always going to be here for my girl, Tara."_

"_Your girl is a lucky woman,"_ Tara said, smiling.

"_I miss you too, Tara. I've got a hug waiting for you when you get back," _Willow said, knowing the types of thoughts that had to be running through Tara's mind. _"So the doctors aren't holding out much hope?"_

"_No, they're not. They don't even know how she's still alive."_

"_But they don't know about the magic."_

"_Is there anything we can do?"_

"_I'm not sure. I doubt it though if she's not breathing. We can't make miracles." _There was a pause. _"We might be able to wake her up though, but it would only be for a few minutes. Does she have any brain activity?"_

"_A little bit, I think, I don't know. Giles has the medical stuff. I'm here for the magical stuff," _Tara told her, frowning and looking up from her own legs to the unconscious Marine in the bed. _"Could you really do it? Wake her up?"_

"_You'd be doing it, baby. I'm in Ohio, remember? But yeah, I think we have a chance."_ There was a long pause. _"It would only be for a few minutes though, maximum. Just long enough to say goodbye."_

Tara's chin dropped to her knees, tears welling in her eyes. _"I'll make sure to tell Riley. But not for a few days. I want more time to think of something, give Giles time."_

Willow could feel Tara's pain, her soft-hearted wife's heart breaking for a woman she'd never met, the wife of the man who's betrayal had led to her own torture at the hands of a psychopath. _"Tara, honey, I'm so sorry. Want me to come?" _Tara sniffled, arms squeezing her knees, wanting to say yes, but knowing how uncomfortable Willow would be traveling. _"If it comes to that, tell Riley we'll be there for the funeral. Xander and Dawn will come with me. I'll buy the tickets online."_

"_Willow, no, you don't have to come. I'm sorry, I'm just emotional."_

"_And as your adoring, devoted wife, it is my duty and prerogative to hold you when you're sad and make you feel better,"_ Willow responded matter-of-factly.

"_Your arm is still in a sling, Will. You can't do much holding with only one arm,"_ Tara responded, smiling through her tears.

Willow scoffed. _"Are you doubting my skills? Has the one day apart made you forget?"_

Tara bit her lip, laughing. _"Of course not, sweetie. I could never forget anything about you. You are perfectly capable of keeping me safe and happy even if both arms were in a sling. I'm glad they're not though,"_ she added.

"_And the doctor said I should be able to take the sling off next week. My muscles should be healed up by then,"_ Willow reminded her.

"_I'm glad you're getting better, Willow. How's your leg feeling?"_

"_It's taken long enough,"_ the redhead complained, bored with convalescence. _"Do you think I'll be able to feel when it's going to rain in my leg once it heals?"_ she asked, hearing Tara's quiet laugh.

"_You're a goof,"_ Tara said, knowing that Willow was trying to distract her and she sobered as she opened her eyes again. _"Thank you though."_

"_Of course, my love. We're booked on the first flight Friday so I'll see you soon."_

"_What do I need to do for Sam?"_ Tara asked, wiping her tears away.

Tara and Giles worked for two days, trying anything and everything they could think of, with no effect. Tara had told Giles about Willow's idea to wake Sam up, and they had talked about it with Buffy, but the Slayer had wanted them to wait to talk to Riley about it until they'd tried absolutely everything.

Riley came into the hospital room as Tara was dropping into her seat, groaning in frustration. She looked up at him, her expression telling him everything he needed to know.

"She's going to die, isn't she?" he asked, sounding resigned, his arms crossed over his chest.

Tara sighed, glancing over the bed to where Giles and Buffy were standing. "I'm afraid so," the blonde witch said sadly.

Buffy stepped over to him, touching his arm gently. "Will and Tara did come up with a way to wake her up, but it would only be for a few minutes, and that would be the…"

Riley let out a deep breath, his chin dropping against his chest. "There's nothing else?"

Giles cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Riley. We've tried everything I can think of…"

The Marine's eyes found his wife's body, blinking and taking a shaky breath. "I can talk to her though, say goodbye?"

Giles nodded, gesturing to Tara. She smiled tearfully at him, nodding her head. "Whenever you want me to," she offered.

He squared his shoulders, his hands dropping to his sides, fists clenching unconsciously. "Now?"

Tara nodded. "It'll take a few minutes for the spell to work," she warned him, her eyes sliding closed as she started murmuring in Latin, speaking the spell quietly.

Giles curled an arm around Buffy's shoulder, escorting her into the hall with him. They both gave the Marine sympathetic looks over their shoulders, shutting the door behind them.

Tara joined them in the hall after a few minutes, leaning against the wall, both hands wiping tears from her face. Giles wrapped his free arm around her shoulder, both girls leaning against him.

They all looked over as they heard Willow's voice. "I think that's my job, Giles," she said, maneuvering herself down the hall on crutches, her left arm free of its sling. She got a few steps away from them, stopping herself and balancing carefully on her long cast and dropping her crutches to either side. Tara was there in a second, Willow's arms wrapped around her tightly.

Xander and Dawn were lingering in the hall behind them and Dawn collected Willow's discarded crutches, leaning them against the wall and moving to hug Giles and Buffy.

"How is she?" Xander asked, letting the multiple duffle bags he had slung over his shoulders and chest slide to the ground.

"I just did the spell so Riley could say goodbye," Tara said, her voice muffled by her face buried in Willow's shoulder. She pulled back, keeping one arm around Willow's back and reaching for the crutches. "Where's your sling?" she asked, giving her wife the supports back.

Willow shrugged. "My wife needs a hug, I lose the sling," she said simply. "My shoulder feels better," she said before Tara could ask. Both witches could feel the magic in Sam's room fade and both sets of eyes turned to the door, the others looking over as the knob turned.

Riley's eyes were red, his shoulders slumped. He blinked in surprise at the new arrivals. "I'm glad you guys are here," he said hoarsely, and Buffy hugged him, the soldier burying his face in her shoulder. The others were silent, knowing there was nothing to say.

The funeral was two days later, the Scoobies and Sam's parents in attendance as well as her military squad. Buffy offered Riley a place on their couch if he wanted to stay with friends for a while, but he had stated a desire to bury himself in work.

The Scoobies were quiet as they boarded the plane back to Cleveland, everyone tired after the long few days. When they got back to their house they dove back into their unpacking and Willow was put back on her task of issuing orders from the couch, her lap full of books as she tried to figure out what could be done about the Slayer powers all being with Buffy and showing no inclination of leaving her.

* * *

It took her a few weeks, but Willow figured out a way to transfer the slayers' abilities back to the other girls. It was a slow process, only little bits could be channeled through her at a time and Tara was careful to keep her from doing too much while she was still on her crutches. For the most part, the most vocal objections to the slow pace were coming from Kennedy, the girls were enjoying their time off and were in no rush to take their responsibilities back from Buffy.

They had just finished one session of transferring the slayer strength away from Buffy and back into Kennedy and the Slayer was wiped out, the process always exhausting her while energizing the recipient. Tara was careful that Willow didn't over exert herself. Her cast had just come off a week before and her leg was still weak. Xander teased her that she was faking her weakness so that she could continue to use Tara as a crutch without arousing suspicion.

The girls _were _enjoying Willow having full mobility back, but they were keeping their celebrations private.

Willow caught Tara's eye as she straightened her legs gingerly in front of her and Tara moved from her seat on the other side of the room to sit next to Willow's legs, pulling them onto her lap and gently massaging the sore muscles of her weak leg.

Willow sighed gratefully, one hand resting on top of Tara's as her head dropped back against the side of the couch. Buffy was asleep on the couch behind her while Kennedy was doing handsprings back and forth across the Scoobies' living room.

Everyone blinked in surprise as she stopped suddenly, dropping onto Satsu's lap where her girlfriend was reading a magazine and kissing her soundly, tossing the magazine away without caring where it landed. The others just smiled at each other, used to Kennedy's outbursts when she was hopped up on slayer energy.

There was no one else in the house and they relaxed, Willow and Tara on the floor, Satsu and Kennedy in the chair, while Xander and Dawn were playing cards at the coffee table and Buffy slept on the couch. Giles came through the front door without knocking, Faith right behind him.

Everyone had been surprised when the dark-haired Slayer had announced that she intended to move in with the Watcher rather than getting her own place, or leaving, but the plan had actually worked out great for the pair. They didn't get in each other's way and appeared to understand each other.

Faith grinned wickedly as she saw Buffy sleeping on the couch and Willow swatted her away as the dark haired Slayer leaned over to mess with the unconscious girl. Faith had already had her strength restored and she and Buffy had been handling the bulk of the patrols while they all settled into their new homes.

Giles cleared his throat with an arched eyebrow and Faith backed off with a shrug, wandering into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Giles watched her go, shaking his head. "You'd think we don't have any food across the street," he commented as they heard her start rummaging through the cupboards.

Tara smiled good naturedly, shrugging. "You know anything we have is yours anyway, Giles," she said, her hands still working on Willow's leg, the skin paler even than normal after long months inside the cast.

Kennedy stopped kissing Satsu, but left herself settled comfortably across her girlfriend's lap, waving at the Watcher. "What's up, Giles?" she asked, cracking her neck to either side. "Anything for me to kill?"

He shook his head, glancing at the bright sunlight outside the windows. "Not at the moment, no, but I appreciate your enthusiasm," he assured her. "I actually had something I wanted to discuss with you all."

Xander and Dawn looked up from their game and Giles took the seat at the end of the couch next to Buffy's feet.

"What's going on, Giles?" Willow asked, her head turned to look at him.

"Nothing is wrong, I assure you. I just had an idea and I wanted to present it to you as a group," he said, glancing at the sleeping Slayer.

"Should we wake up Buffy?" Willow questioned, her hand reaching back to shake her friend awake, but Giles caught her, shaking his head.

"No, let her sleep. I wanted to get your opinion before we bring it up with Buffy." The others were giving him their full attention and he continued. "I think Buffy should be allowed to retire," he stated simply. No one spoke and he started to plead his case. "Buffy is the most accomplished Slayer the world has ever known, but she's only twenty four years old, and she deserves a different life, a life away from fighting demons and monsters. She's done more in that short time than most people can dream of. And I'm not just saying this because of my position as her Watcher…"

His voice trailed off as Willow giggled. "We know you love Buffy, Giles. It's not a secret. She's always been your favorite," she said, smiling widely as he looked uncomfortable.

"I, I never, she never got special treatment," he insisted.

Xander snorted. "Yeah right, except for the time you told her about the test on her eighteenth birthday even though you weren't supposed to, and lost your job running in to save her."

"Or the time the Council threatened to deport you if Buffy didn't obey their deranged demands and she told them to shove it," Willow added.

"Or when you came to stay with us after Mom died, or the time you gave Buffy money so we wouldn't lose the house," Dawn interjected, smiling fondly at the older man.

Tara spoke up quickly, defending him. "You guys stop picking on poor Giles," she said. "He's done things like that for all of us."

The others nodded, smiling at the Watcher. "Buffy is his favorite though," Willow couldn't resist adding, and Giles blushed.

"Of course Buffy should retire," Kennedy stated. "I'm sure the others won't have a problem with it, but I don't think Buffy will quit that easily."

Giles sighed, polishing his glasses thoughtlessly. "I could talk to her, convince her…"

"I don't think Buffy will ever be able to completely retire. She's seen too much; knows too much about what's out there to just be able to act like it's not there," Tara said. "But maybe if the other slayers pick up the patrolling, she'd be willing to just slay as an extra-curricular activity," she suggested, seeing Kennedy and Satsu nod in agreement.

Willow turned her head to watch her friend sleep, smiling affectionately. "Maybe it is time for Buffy to do something new with her life. I mean, we're all kind of at that point anyway. We've got to go forward somehow."

Tara blinked in surprise as Willow's statement sprung an idea in her own mind and she had to hide her smile. Willow's own smile was carefully covered when she turned back to face her wife, ideas whirling in both heads as they looked at each other.


	33. Chapter 32

The next three months flew by as the girls got settled in their houses, Willow working constantly to get the slayers their powers back from Buffy. Tara would only let her do a small bit everyday, not willing to let her wear herself out on a daily basis and insisting that she exercise her leg to regain her strength.

Tara's eyebrows rose in surprise as she came into the bedroom she shared with Willow. It was still early and she was surprised to see that her wife was awake. Not only was she awake, she was rooting under the bed, her rear sticking up behind her. She had obviously been looking for something. Drawers were open in their dresser, the sheets were pulled off of the bed, and Tara could see the mess in their bathroom through the open door.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest, head tilting to the side to get a better angled view at her unsuspecting wife, ignoring the wreck Willow was creating in their room. She must have made some sort of noise without realizing it though, because Willow jumped suddenly, hitting her head on the underside of the bed.

"Oh, baby, are you okay?" Tara asked, moving away from her spot just inside the door to help Willow to her feet, craning her neck around to check the back of her wife's head. "What were you doing under there anyway?" Willow blushed and Tara abruptly noticed the tracks of tears on her face. "Oh God, Willow, what happened? Are you okay?"

Tara's hands moved rapidly over her lover's face and neck, searching for wounds. Willow stopped her wife's anxious hands, holding them tight in her own. She pressed a kiss to the back of each hand, sniffling back tears. "Baby," she hiccupped. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much, and I'm so sorry. I don't know what…I can't find…"

Tara frowned, stopping her with a gentle kiss. "Willow, whatever it is, we'll take care of it. I promise you. Whatever it is will be okay. I'm right here with you, sweetheart. Everything will be alright."

Willow shook her head, eyes swimming with tears. "Tara, I didn't…I would never…I'm so sorry, baby."

Tara stopped her again, cocking her head to look Willow in the eye. "Just tell me what it is. You're scaring me."

Willow took a deep breath, her eyes sliding closed and she held up her left hand without speaking. Tara blinked, realization setting in after several moments. Willow's eyes opened slowly as she heard Tara's gasp. "I lost my ring, but I'll tear the whole place apart. I swear I'll find it, Tara. I'm so sorry. I don't know what could have happened to it. You know how much it means to me, you know I wouldn't take it off and leave it somewhere. I don't even take it off! I promise I'll find it." Her mouth was still open to babble when Tara's hand came up to stop her words.

Tara shook her head at her wife, giving her an unreadable look. "Willow, no. Oh God, Will, no. _I'm_ sorry. I know you didn't lose it. You never would." She glanced down at her feet, one hand digging in the pocket of her pajamas. Willow was watching her curiously and her jaw dropped as Tara pulled a ring case out of her pocket. Tara finally looked back up at her as she opened the case. "I took your ring. I didn't expect you to already be up. I was going to put it back on your finger before you noticed it was gone."

Willow blinked in surprise. "So why did you take it if you were going to put it back?"

Tara smiled crookedly, her hair sliding in front of her face. "Let's see if you can find it," she challenged, extending the case to Willow. The redhead took the box, pulling her ring gently out and looking it over closely.

"Well, obviously you got it cleaned, but I doubt that's why you stole it while I was sleeping," she commented as she turned it in her fingers. She gasped when she got a look at the inside of the band. There was an inscription that hadn't been there before and tears filled her eyes again as she read it. Finally she looked up at Tara, stunned. "I get the date for our wedding, but Rosenberg-Maclay?" she asked, her voice quiet, already sure she knew what it meant, but wanting to hear Tara say it more than anything.

Tara bit her lip, nodding. "That's my name," she said simply, searching Willow's eyes for a reaction.

"Tara Rosenberg-Maclay?" Willow asked, tears slipping down her cheeks. Tara nodded, gently taking the ring from Willow's suddenly shaking fingers and sliding it back into its place, squeezing her wife's hand.

"Is that okay? I thought it sounded better than Maclay-Rosenberg," Tara said, still nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

Willow nodded rapidly. "It's better than okay. It's perfect, Tara."

The blonde smirked. "I personally like the sound of Mrs. Rosenberg-Maclay." She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her wife's waist.

The redhead nodded again, tilting her head back to look up at Tara. "I like that too," she said with a smile. "We've been married now for almost three years and kept our own names for so long, why the change now?" she asked, curious.

Tara shrugged. "Our anniversary is coming up, and we've gone through almost every conceivable hell this past year. I just wanted to find another way to belong to you." She blushed. "That sounded hokey to say."

Willow shook her head, leaning in for a kiss. "It was sweet and perfect. I understand exactly what you mean. So, can I change my name too?" she asked, grinning excitedly.

Tara blinked. "That's up to you, sweetie. You don't have to do anything just because I did it."

Willow pouted. "Well I belong to you too. It's by no means a one sided belonging." Tara nodded, smiling happily. Willow pecked a kiss on the tip of Tara's nose.

Tara blushed. "Sorry I freaked you out by stealing your ring. I really thought I was going to get back in time so that you wouldn't notice it was missing."

"How long have you been planning this anyway?" Willow asked, her hand taking Tara's left hand and lifting it to press a kiss to her wedding band.

Tara shrugged, thinking. "Maybe a few weeks. I talked to Xander about it. He actually did the inscription for me."

Willow blinked in surprise. "Xander did this? I might have to kiss him."

Tara's eyebrows raised and her hold on Willow's waist tightened. "I don't think so. This wasn't to get him smooches."

Willow raised an eyebrow of her own. "So it was to get you smooches?" she asked teasingly even as she leaned in for a kiss.

Tara shook her head in the second before their lips met, mouth curled up in a smile. The kiss was slow and deep and Willow's arms came up to wrap themselves around Tara's neck. They pulled back slowly, Tara coming back in for several short pecks.

She smiled peacefully and Willow hugged her neck. The redhead glanced guiltily around the room. "I guess I kind of trashed our bedroom for no reason. Sorry."

Tara laughed and Willow felt her heart flutter at the sound. "It's kind of my fault. I should have gotten back faster. I didn't want you to think you'd lost your ring. Sorry, baby."

Willow scoffed. "You did something wonderful for me, no apologizing," she said mock sternly. "You can help me clean if you feel bad about it," she suggested, smiling playfully. Tara smiled back at her. "What do you say, Mrs. Rosenberg-Maclay?"

Tara felt a shiver run down her spine at the sound of her new name and her smile widened. Willow could feel her tremble and leaned in to press a kiss against her wife's neck. "We could clean later," Willow breathed quietly.

"We might not clean ever if you say my name like that," Tara replied as her head turned to give Willow access to more skin. The redhead took it eagerly, scattering kisses everywhere she could reach.

"We have the same name," she groaned, sucking on the skin under Tara's jaw.

"Why is that so hot?" Tara asked, one hand holding Willow's head against her.

Willow shook her head, still working on kissing everything she could get to. "I don't know, but it is." She pressed in closer, hands sliding down Tara's back. "I love you, Tara Rosenberg-Maclay."

Tara smiled and tilted her head down, gently forcing Willow to pull back so their eyes could meet. "I love you too, Willow. So much." She glanced around at the mess in their room. "We really should clean though." A smirk appeared on her face. "You stripped our bed, love."

Willow pouted. "I've got other things I want to strip."

Tara grinned at that, winking. "But the mattress is all scratchy," she commented. "I don't want scratchy stuff on your soft Willow-skin," she said, one finger slipping under the bottom edge of Willow's shirt to trace her nails over her back, fingertips lingering over the scar tissue on her wife's back, a remnant of the burns Willow had received in their showdown with Twilight and Amy.

Willow twitched at the contact and Tara's fingers slipped out from under the shirt, smoothing over it. She knew Willow was still sensitive about the scars, even though Tara had repeatedly assured her that they did nothing to diminish the redhead's beauty. She could feel the marred skin through the shirt and was grateful that contact with the spot no longer pained Willow, at least physically.

For many weeks after their battle their injuries had had them all limping and had made sleeping difficult, but Willow's wounded, raw back, her broken leg, and dislocated shoulder on opposite sides had made it all but impossible for the redhead to sleep. Once her shoulder had healed it had gotten easier, but the perpetually bleeding injury on her back made it impossible for her to roll onto her back and she'd quickly become annoyed with having to sleep so stiffly.

Now that she was healed, she'd quietly overcompensated. Since they'd started sharing a bed she and Tara had never slept far from each other, but now Tara was just holding on throughout the night while Willow sprawled and contorted herself all over their bed. The blonde witch didn't mind the change. She was sure it was just a reaction to finally being able to move freely and once the novelty wore off Willow would calm back down in her sleep. Until then she'd resolved to just keep holding on as much as she could. The occasional kick was worth it to be able to hold Willow and be able to feel her life, even as she slept.

Tara's fingers moved away from the scars and her hands slipped up Willow's back to touch Willow's own fingers at her neck. She felt her wife grab her fingers and she smiled, leaning her head against Willow's.

Willow giggled. "I can't believe you spilled your surprise three weeks early."

Tara pulled back to look at her. "My surprise? Does that mean that you have a surprise too?" she asked, excited.

Willow scrunched up her nose, shaking her head. "I don't think so, missy. I'm not telling you a thing! It's not my fault you gave away your surprise," Willow said, smirking.

Tara pouted, giving her a quick peck. "Aww, baby, please?" She fluttered her eyes teasingly. "You know you're going to tell me eventually," she said quietly as she leaned in to take Willow's earlobe between her teeth, nipping gently.

Willow's eyes fluttered closed and she moaned. "This…doesn't…oh Tara," she groaned as her wife pulled on her ear gently with her mouth. Finally Tara pulled back, pressing light kisses under Willow's jaw. "This doesn't make me want to tell you," Willow said as she gasped for air.

Tara pulled back, smiling. "Would stopping?" she asked teasingly. Willow's eyes widened as she realized her mistake and her bottom lip shot out in a pout.

"That's mean," she complained.

Tara cocked her head, still smiling teasingly. "You know, it occurs to me that you haven't had much time to come up with anything. Maybe you're just pretending…faking to get kisses."

Willow arched an eyebrow playfully, endeavoring to look innocent. "Would I do that? Me?"

Tara just smirked, squeezing her lover's fingers. "I think you would, actually. You act all ingenuous around the others, but I know your inner vixen very well."

Willow grinned. "Well, you should. Any vixeny-ness I have is completely your responsibility."

"I'll take complete responsibility, baby. I'm glad to," Tara said happily, scratching her fingers lightly over Willow's shoulders.

"But you're wrong about me not having anything planned," Willow said, still grinning. "I've been thinking about it for a while now and I _was_ going to wait until our anniversary…" she trailed off and kissed Tara quickly, stepping back and moving to scoop up the sheets and comforter from where she'd thrown them to the floor in her search for her ring.

Tara watched her, surprised by her wife's sudden departure from her arms, her own hands suddenly left swinging by her sides. "Will? What? Where are you going?"

Willow smiled at her over her shoulder. "You were the one who said we should clean the room."

Tara's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Willow! You can't just tease me like that!"

The redhead just laughed, wiggling her butt as she bent down to retrieve their pillows from the floor. "I don't think we should put these sheets back on the bed. Do we have any clean ones, or do I need to do laundry?" she asked, ignoring Tara's shock and turning to toss the pillows onto the bare mattress. She looked supremely amused at the stunned look on Tara's face, the blonde speechless.

Willow walked back over to her, waving one hand in front of Tara's face. "Did I break you?" she asked, laughing.

Tara snatched her wife's hand quickly, squeezing it. "Willow! You can't do that!" Tara whined, shaking Willow's hand.

The redhead just laughed again. "I can't change the sheets?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as she played dumb.

Tara shook her head rapidly, pulling back on Willow's hand as her wife moved to go back to cleaning. "Willow Rosenberg-Maclay, you tell me your secret!" Tara demanded, laughing herself at the glazed look that immediately dropped over Willow's features. She leaned in to whisper in her wife's ear. "It sounds great doesn't it?"

Willow nodded dumbly and Tara moved her mouth in closer so her lips were brushing Willow's ear as she whispered. "Tell me?" she breathed, feeling the tremor that ran down the redhead's spine.

"Baby," Willow breathed in a rush, her eyes closed.

"What?" Tara asked, tilting her head down to kiss Willow's neck.

"The secret," Willow moaned as Tara sucked on the skin over her rapid pulse. "Oh God, baby."

Tara pulled back, frowning in confusion. "Are you calling me baby, or…" she trailed off in shock as she realized her wife's meaning and Willow's eyes blinked open to meet hers, searching her face.

"Tara, what are you thinking here?" Willow asked, suddenly nervous. "I mean, we talked about it, but that was almost six months ago, and I know we're not exactly living our normal life, but I think we're ready." She took a deep breath. "And I know it's not exactly a typical anniversary present, but I was going to see if you wanted to go to the doctor with me."

Tara's eyes were wide and she finally blinked. "Willow Rosenberg-Maclay! You had better not go to the doctor without me! How could you even think that I wouldn't go with you?" She pressed a kiss firmly to the redhead's forehead before kissing her on the mouth. "Are you sure about this?" she asked quietly as she pulled back.

Willow met her gaze without hesitation. "I want to have a baby with you, Tara. If you're not sure, or not ready, we can wait, but I'm ready…" She had more to say, but her words were interrupted by Tara's passionate kiss.

When the blonde finally broke the kiss she was grinning widely and Willow couldn't help but grin back at her. "So is that a yes to having a baby?" Willow asked, excitedly bouncing on her toes.

Tara nodded rapidly, throwing her arms around Willow and hugging her tightly. "I can't believe you were going to hide that from me until our anniversary. It's like three weeks away!"

Willow shrugged. "I was going to go to the doctor and do the check up thing before I brought it up with you."

Tara pulled back to look her in the face. "And there's that! How could you even think about going to the doctor alone?"

Willow shook her head, smiling. "I wasn't going to go alone. Buffy said she'd come with me."

Tara shook her head firmly. "No way! This is _our_ baby and I'm going to be there for everything. Aunt Buffy and Uncle Xander can come if they want, but I'll be at your side every second."

Willow laughed, one hand touching Tara tenderly on her face. "Okay, calm down. That was the plan when I was still hoping to surprise you. I should have known that wasn't going to work."

Tara smirked, shaking her head. "Dawn always says that we're bad at hiding stuff from each other."

"But it was going so well until you pulled the ripcord on your surprise three weeks before our anniversary," Willow said. "So I blame you. We both had secrets and we were both keeping them and you spoiled it." She paused, thinking. "Actually, nothing could spoil this, but you are responsible for them being early."

Tara shrugged unrepentantly. "Hey, it gives me the chance to be there when my _wife_ goes to the doctor to talk about having _our baby_."

Willow grinned. "I wasn't going to do anything without you. This visit is just a check up to make sure I can still do everything mothers need to be able to do." She glanced down at herself. "This year hasn't been kind to us physically," she commented reasonably, one hand unconsciously moving to touch the scar tissue on her back.

Tara's hand caught hers and pulled it up to press a kiss to the back of it. "You're perfect, Willow," she said firmly, recognizing the rising doubts that the redhead had been struggling with since her recovery. She'd been on crutches for weeks while her leg healed and the burns on her back had taken longer. Willow had been without her magic and by the time she got enough power back to do anything about her injuries it was too late for her to do anything to prevent the scarring.

Tara had told her many times that nothing could affect the way she felt, but Willow was frequently insecure. The scars were still fairly fresh and rimmed by pink new skin which did nothing to help Tara's assurances that someday they wouldn't even be noticeable. She also teased that she had better be the only one in a position to find them as they were very low on Willow's back.

Tara kept hold of Willow's hand. "You're going to be fine, sweetie." She pressed another kiss to her knuckles. "And I'll be right there with you. You don't have to do anything alone." She rolled her eyes. "Even if it is _just_ a check up."

Willow nodded, giggling. "I get it. Next time I'll know not to even go get a check up without you."

Tara raised an eyebrow, a hesitant smile on her face. "Next time? There's already going to be a next time?"

Willow nodded easily. "There's going to be as many as you want, Tara."

The blonde smiled. "We can start with one and go from there, how about that?"

"That sounds perfect to me," Willow replied. "I want at least two though."

Tara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? I didn't know you had a preference."

"I was an only child and it was really lonely. That's how me and Xander got so close. We were both all alone. Not that I could have wished for a better person to grow up with than Xander. I just don't want that to happen to our kid. If we have two they'll always have someone to play with." She smiled. "And they'll have Xander too so it'll be the best possible way to grow up."

Tara smiled tenderly. "And they'll have you for a mother so they'll be the luckiest kids ever born." She pulled Willow into a hug. "Almost as lucky as me," she said quietly.

"They'll have us for parents," Willow corrected her gently. "And we're both the lucky ones." Her voice grew thick as tears burned behind her eyes suddenly. "I can't imagine what would have happened to me if you hadn't come back to me. And not even just me, think how everything else would be different for everybody." She choked up and felt Tara's arms tighten around her soothingly, pulling her in so that there was no space between them.

Tara nodded. "It's amazing how one little change can affect so many things. Like when you throw a little rock into a pond, the ripples go out so much farther than you could predict."

Willow sighed, squeezing Tara tight. "I would never call you coming back from the dead something small love. It's everything. You're the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Who could have imagined that our lives would turn out like this?" she asked, her forehead dropping to lean against Tara's shoulder.

Tara rested a soothing hand on the back of her wife's neck. "I can't imagine it turning out any differently actually," she said, smiling to herself. "As long as we're together, it's perfect."

* * *

The following months were tricky as the girls had decided not to tell the others about their plans to have a baby until they were sure that Willow was pregnant and that everything was okay. It was made more difficult by the fact that Buffy already knew about Willow's plans and she asked everyday 'if Tara had knocked her up yet.'

Even after they had a positive answer for her, they continued the façade that it still hadn't happened, deciding to reveal the truth at Buffy's birthday party. Willow was sick the morning of the party and was careful to stay in her room so that Buffy wouldn't notice that she was pale and throwing up.

Tara made excuses for her at breakfast, claiming that Willow was sleeping late and changing the subject to Buffy's party that night. The Slayer had tried to convince them not to throw her a party, citing her previous disastrous birthdays as evidence, but they wouldn't be dissuaded.

Faith and Giles were coming over early, but the rest of the slayers were arriving that evening. Xander and Dawn were in charge of cleaning the house and Tara was cooking for everyone. Willow had the job of decorating, but Tara was going to cover for her if she wasn't feeling better by the afternoon.

Willow washed her face in the sink as she stood up from her latest round of throwing up. Tara was downstairs in the kitchen and the redhead smiled as she immediately heard her concerned wife's voice in her head. _"How are you feeling, baby?"_

"_I'm fine. I don't think I've got anything else to throw up so I'll get dressed and come downstairs."_ Willow assured her.

"_Can I do anything for you? Do you need anything?"_

"_I think I'm okay. Can I have some juice maybe, Tara? My mouth tastes yucky and I'm having a day where I don't like the toothpaste flavor."_

"_Oh, honey, I got you a new kind. It's in the drawer to the right of the sink. You said you didn't like the vanilla kind anymore, so I got you a new tube. Is that going to be okay?"_

Willow was surprised to feel tears burning behind her eyes, her hormones wreaking havoc on her moods. _"Tara, you didn't have to do that. Thank you so much, sweetheart."_ A smile spread over her face as she saw that there wasn't just one new tube of toothpaste, but three, all in different flavors.

"_Are you crying, Willow? Are you okay? I'll be right there,"_ Tara said, immediately worried and already moving towards the stairs.

Willow shook her head even though Tara couldn't see her and hiccupped back a sob._ "No, I'm okay. It's just the hormones, I promise. You don't need to come."_

"_Are you sure? I can be there in a second."_

"_It's okay. You need to keep cooking. I know you're busy."_

"_Honey, I'll never be so busy that I won't come check on my girl. Are you sure you're okay? I just put the cake in the oven, and Dawn can keep an eye on everything if you need me for absolutely anything. You just have to tell me."_

Willow smiled to herself, wiping tears off her face. _"I promise that I'll tell you the second I need anything." _Willow had been finding it adorable how protective and paranoid Tara had become since the doctor had told them that Willow was pregnant.

She wiped her face with a wet washcloth and selected a new flavor from the toothpaste Tara had gotten for her, love for her wife washing over her as she brushed her teeth, grateful that her taste buds weren't revolting against the new flavor.

She got dressed in a hurry, feeling better once she was moving around. She walked downstairs quickly, meeting Tara's eyes as the blonde turned to look at her as soon as she entered. Her wife smiled, relieved to see her up and moving despite Willow's assurances that she was fine.

Tara stepped over to her from the stove, one hand cupping the back of her neck as she looked her over carefully. "You're okay?" she asked, cautiously keeping her voice down.

Willow smirked, nodding. "I'm fine, baby. I told you that."

Tara sighed. "Just let me worry about you, okay, love? I'm still going to do it even if I don't ask you about it. It will only get worse as you get farther along." The redhead grinned, leaning in for a kiss which Tara happily gave her, fingers sliding into Willow's hair. They pulled back slowly and Tara grinned. "Cinnamon-y," she commented, smacking her lips.

Willow nodded. "My amazing wife got me new toothpaste because I'm pregnant with our baby and the little one doesn't like vanilla toothpaste."

Tara wrapped her arms around Willow's waist, cocking her head to one side. "Oh yeah? Your wife sounds pretty thoughtful."

Willow nodded again, grinning widely. "She is. She's perfect and amazing in every way and I'm head over heels in love with her."

Tara kissed her again briefly. "She's crazy about you too."

Willow winked. "I'm hoping she won't be disappointed when I get huge in a few months."

Tara rolled her eyes. "You're not going to be huge," she chided, pinching Willow's butt teasingly. "You're going to be pregnant, _not_ huge." Willow gave her a doubtful look and Tara gave her a serious look in return. "You're pregnant with our baby, Willow. You're gorgeous. You've always been gorgeous. You will always be gorgeous. Being pregnant could only make you look better." She squeezed her wife gently. "You know I'll always love you, always want you." The tone of her voice gave no question. She knew Willow wouldn't doubt her, so the statement was merely a reminder.

Willow nodded, smiling. "I know. Thanks for making me feel better, baby."

Tara kissed her cheek. "Of course, Willow. You're my wife and I'll always take care of you."

They separated as Xander came into the kitchen, Tara moving to swat him away from her food preparations. "Shoo," she said, waving. "You go help Willow hang the decorations," she suggested, pointing at Willow as her wife snagged a piece of bread off a plate. "Both of you get out of my kitchen," she ordered, pointing out the door toward the living room.

Willow shoved her bread into her mouth, speaking with her mouth full. "I haven't eaten today! I'm hungry!" she objected.

Tara's eyes widened and she quickly moved to the fridge, looking through the contents. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Let me make you something. You can't just eat bread for breakfast. What do you want to eat? I can make you some eggs, pancakes, waffles, an omelet, french toast, anything you want, anything at all. I can go to the store really quick if none of that sounds good."

Xander glanced between the two of them, surprised by Tara's enthusiasm. "Can't she just munch on whatever you're already cooking?"

Tara shook her head immediately. "She needs a good breakfast," she insisted, realizing her mistake when Willow shot her a look from behind Xander's back that clearly told her to cool it. She smiled reassuringly at them, pulling a carton of eggs from the fridge. "I'll make you an omelet," she said. "Ham and cheese okay?"

Willow grinned and nodded. "Thank you, baby. Can I have some jalapenos in there too?" Tara's eyes widened, surprised by the request, but she nodded. Xander was confused, knowing Willow didn't normally like spicy food. "We'll be in here," Willow said, pulling Xander out of the kitchen with her. She immediately started unrolling streamers, ignoring his incredulous stare.

"Okay Willow, what was that? I know you and Tara are really close and protective and all of that, but didn't that seem a little overboard to freak out over what you're eating for breakfast? Don't you normally just drink coffee?"

Willow shrugged without turning to look at him. "Oh, yeah, normally I just have the caffeine, but we're trying to be more healthy, that's all." She shot him a grin over her shoulder. "Well, I'm trying to be more healthy. Tara's just being supportive."

He eyed her thoughtfully. "You've never worried about being healthy, Will. I've known you your whole life and you've always just eaten what you wanted to eat. With the exception of hot things like jalapenos." He paused, thinking. "And you've been drinking coffee religiously since we were in high school. What's the deal? I know something has to be going on for you to give up coffee."

"I'm not _giving up _coffee. I just didn't have any today," she objected, yawning uncontrollably at the reminder.

"You never skip your coffee," he stated, still watching her. His eye widened as her hand came up unconsciously to rub her stomach as she stepped onto the couch to stretch up and tape one end of the streamer to the ceiling. "Willow, are you pregnant?" he asked loudly.

She jumped quickly down off the couch and put her hand over his mouth. "Not so loud! Nobody knows."

His eye was still wide. "Tara doesn't know? How could Tara not know?" he hissed, keeping his voice down.

She shook her head, swatting him on the arm. "Of course Tara knows! She's been with me for every step of this."

He lifted his hands in defense. "Of course I wasn't insinuating that you did anything wrong. I know you would never do anything like that." He grinned. "Except that one time with me."

She slugged him on the arm this time, rolling her eyes at him. "We were going to tell everyone today. I'm nine weeks along." He smiled happily at her and she opened her arms. "Can I get a hug from Uncle Xander?" she asked.

He grinned, throwing his arms around her, but he hesitated. "I'm not going to hurt you or the baby, am I?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Of course you're not." He grinned, his hug lifting her off her feet in his enthusiasm.

They both jumped in surprise when they separated to find Dawn standing to the side, staring at them with a huge smile on her face.

"Dawnie, where did you come from?" Willow asked, glancing at Xander. The girl just grinned, running her eyes over Willow. "How long have you been there?" she asked, suspicious.

"Long enough," Dawn replied cryptically.

Willow swatted Xander on the shoulder. "How come you let me talk about this while she was standing right there?"

"I only have one eye! She must have been in my gigantic blind spot!" he objected, gesturing to his left side. "You didn't see her either!"

Dawn was still just grinning and Willow sighed. "Fine, everything you heard is true, but you can't tell anyone. We were going to surprise you all at the party." She rolled her eyes. "This time it's not even my fault the secret got spilled." She glared at Xander. "How come me being pregnant was your first guess anyway? I'm not even showing yet!"

He shrugged. "You not drinking coffee was suspicious…I figured you'd only give it up for something huge." He grinned. "If it makes you feel better, my next guess was going to be a caffeine related disorder of some kind."

She rolled her eyes again and Dawn laughed. "Trust me Willow, no one would guess you're pregnant unless they're Xander. You look great," she complimented.

"Tara's got me eating healthy and stuff," Willow said, smiling as Tara came in at that moment with her breakfast. "Thank you, sweetie," she said, kissing her on the cheek as she took the plate.

Tara eyed the other two cautiously as they both grinned at her, Dawn's hands coming up to clap over her mouth. "Is something going on? Why are they both giving me crazy grins?" she asked Willow as the redhead took her food to the coffee table and started eating hungrily.

"They know," Willow said sheepishly around a mouthful. "Xander is some kind of freak guesser! And Dawn snuck up on us while we were hugging!" she defended herself. "This is in no way my fault!"

Tara sighed, looking at them both. "Can you guys keep it quiet, please? We want to surprise everyone else."

They both nodded, still grinning and she pressed a kiss to the top of Willow's head as she went back into the kitchen. Xander and Dawn helped by decorating while Willow was eating and they got everything set up and prepared by dinner time when the girls showed up. They had surrendered to Buffy's desire that the party not be overly large, so the only people coming were the slayers from Buffy's squad and the Scoobies.

Xander and Giles helped Tara set the table while Willow was finishing hanging balloons in the living room. Dawn answered the door as the other girls started arriving.

"Buffy! Satsu and Kennedy are here!" Dawn yelled as she opened the door, grinning at the other girls as they came in. The slayers joined the others in the dining room, greeting Willow as the redhead finished her decorating in the other room and came in. Tara smiled at them all, waving as she went back into the kitchen in response to a chiming timer.

Satsu hugged Willow with a wide smile, holding up a present. "Is there somewhere I should put this?"

Willow grinned, pointing into the living room. "The coffee table should be fine. Thanks, Satsu," she said as the other girl stepped back and went back into the living room.

Kennedy hugged the redhead, smiling. "It's good to see you, Willow. It's been a few weeks."

Willow nodded over the dark-haired girl's shoulder. "It's good to see you too. How's the new place working out? Have you two got everything unpacked?" she asked.

Kennedy hesitated, frowning over Willow's shoulder and pulling back to look at her more closely. "Yeah, it's great. You know, I'm kind of surprised you and Tara didn't get your own place," she said distractedly, her eyes running over Willow's frame. "There's something different about you," she commented, still staring at Willow. Her jaw dropped suddenly. "Oh my God, are you pregnant?"

Willow's eyes widened and she clapped a hand over Kennedy's mouth. "How on earth could you know that? No one else knows." She grimaced. "Well, Tara does, of course. And Xander and Dawn."

Kennedy raised an eyebrow. "So…everyone but Buffy?"

Willow glanced toward the kitchen nervously. "And Giles, but we're telling her today. And Xander finding out was a fluke." She frowned down at herself, running a hand down her still flat stomach. "Am I somehow projecting pregnancy in some way I'm not noticing?" she demanded, twisting around to try and get a look at her butt.

Kennedy laughed, shaking her head. "No, Willow. I don't know what it is exactly." She eyed her speculatively. "Maybe your boobs are bigger?" she suggested, gesturing.

Willow shook her head, waving a hand. "That's what Tara said, but it's too early…" her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying, blushing bright red as Tara came back through the door carrying several plates of food.

Kennedy laughed loudly as Tara put the plates down and gave Willow a confused look. "Sweetheart, are you okay? Your face is all red."

Willow nodded quickly. "I'm fine. I promise. We're both fine. Kennedy figured out our little secret, but I'm okay."

Tara looked at Kennedy in surprise. "How does everyone keep figuring it out?" she asked in exasperation. "She's only nine weeks pregnant! I mean, look at her! She's still tiny!" Tara said, pointing at Willow.

The redhead blushed again, blinking as both women eyed her. "Okay, stop that. It freaks me out to have both of you looking at me like that," Willow said, wrapping her arms protectively around herself and stepping backwards into the living room. She backed into Giles and smiled up at him. "Sorry about that, Giles. I wasn't really looking where I was going," she apologized.

"No trouble, Willow. Is everything alright? You look distracted. Everything is in order for tonight, right?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah. Kennedy and Xander are patrolling after dinner while we stall and we'll have Buffy open presents once they get back."

He frowned in thought. "I know they're both experienced, but shouldn't you or Tara go with them? Just to be safe. I mean, Kennedy is still not at full power yet."

Willow shook her head. "I'd go, but Tara will never let me patrol like this. She's gotten really cautious since I got preg…" she realized what she was saying and stopped, slapping a hand to her forehead. He was just staring at her, realization dawning on his face and she sighed, nodding. "Fine. I'm pregnant and now everyone knows but Buffy. We're telling her at the party so don't tell her."

He was still staring at her as she turned and rushed into the kitchen. Tara looked up at her from the oven, surprised to see the frustration on her face. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I slipped up and now Giles knows," Willow said, dropping into a chair at the kitchen table.

Tara grimaced. "So now everyone knows but Buffy. On her birthday, she's the last one the find out."

Willow nodded, taking a deep breath. "We're going to have to make her godmother for this," she said seriously, smirking a moment later as she met Tara's eyes.

"We were already going to ask her to be godmother," Tara said, rolling her eyes. She leaned over to press a kiss to Willow's hair. "You goof." There was another chime and Tara turned reluctantly to pull their dinner out of the oven. She put it on the table and Willow called the others into the dining room to eat.

The meal was wonderful and they enjoyed being able to relax and spend time together. After dinner Xander and Kennedy did a quick sweep through town. It was mellow, but it was just what Buffy wanted, determined that she was going to have a peaceful birthday for once in her life. As soon as the others got back they all went into the living room to give Buffy her presents. They had all agreed to give her non-Slayer related gifts to celebrate her retirement, which they were revealing to her as a birthday surprise.

Giles brought up the topic, standing up and drawing everyone's attention. He cleared his throat, his feelings for his charge rushing to the front of his mind as he watched her, happy and relaxed for the first time in years.

The Scoobies gave each other affectionate looks as they watched the older man struggle to find words. Finally he managed to gather himself and started to speak. "Buffy, you've done more as the Slayer than any other girl in history. You've averted more apocalypses, killed more demons and vampires, than any Slayer the Watcher's Council had ever recorded. They were loath to tell you," he confessed with a smile. "They knew how good you were and feared you'd realize how little you actually needed them. The first few years I was your Watcher, they, and I myself, couldn't believe how talented you were, even as you bucked against their limitations and constrictions."

Buffy grinned at him, laughing as he recited her record and he smiled affectionately at her. "I'm the best, Giles; we all know that!" she said and the others laughed along with her.

"Yes, you are," Giles agreed seriously. "That's why we think you deserve to retire."

Buffy was still laughing and stopped suddenly as she realized what he had said and what it would mean if it were true. "What?" she asked stupidly. "You can't be serious. I can't retire. I'm the Slayer."

Faith stood up at that. "So am I," she said, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.

"So are we," Satsu and Kennedy chimed in from their seats on the couch while the other girls nodded from their places around the room.

"We'll take over for you," Faith said, laughing at Buffy's stunned expression.

Her head shook slowly. "I can't just turn it off, guys," she objected.

"You don't have to," Xander chimed in. "We just want to take some of the burden from you. You'll still be the Slayer, you just won't be on call for the small stuff."

"No more patrols? Vampire gangs? Staying up all night waiting for some demon to rise? None of that?" Buffy asked, starting to look cautiously excited with each word.

Faith nodded, still smirking. "That's the idea, B."

Buffy grinned happily. "Really?" The slayers nodded, amused by Buffy's disbelief. "You'll still let me know what's going on though, right? How I can I just sit around the house at night and not know if the world might be ending?" she questioned.

"Sure we will," Satsu assured her kindly. "We'll call you for the big stuff," she promised, and Willow laughed, elbowing Buffy teasingly.

"So don't get fat," Faith advised, still smirking and Buffy sighed mock-regretfully, pouting.

"So what, are you going to take my powers away?" she asked, looking at the redheaded witch.

Willow shook her head. "No, of course not. We'll need to keep going with giving the other girls their powers back, and it might be a while before you can give up slaying fully," Willow warned, glancing at Tara as her wife put a hand on her knee. "I'm going to have to slow down with magic soon anyway," she said and Buffy gave her a confused look, glancing between the two witches.

Willow handed over her present instead of explaining, giving Tara a smile as the Slayer ripped into the box eagerly.

She blinked in surprise as she pulled a t-shirt out of the box. "There's some more stuff under there, but that one is…fairly important," Willow commented as Buffy raised an eyebrow at her.

"You got me a t-shirt that says 'World's best Aunt' on it? What…?" Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she figured it out. "You're pregnant?" she asked in disbelief, looking between the pair.

Willow nodded and Buffy shot to her feet, pulling the witches into tight hugs. "Oh my God!" she squealed, swinging Willow around excitedly. The redhead coughed under the tight grip and Buffy put her down quickly, patting her on the back. "Sorry, sorry. I just got excited," she apologized. "You okay?"

Willow nodded reassuringly, smiling at Tara, seeing her wife's anxiety. "I'm fine." She cleared her throat as Buffy hugged her again.

"Sorry, still excited," she apologized, excitedly grabbing her new shirt and pulling it over her head. She grinned down at her shirt and clapped happily. "I'm so happy for you guys! And how could you not tell me right away? How far along are you? How long have you been hiding this from us?" she asked, giving the witch a questioning glance.

"Nine weeks," Willow answered. "We just wanted to wait until we knew everything was okay. I hope you don't mind us telling everyone on your birthday, we just wanted to tell everyone together and this seemed like a good time."

Buffy shrugged. "It's alright! I'm just glad you finally told us!" She pointed firmly at the two of them. "Next time, you two have to tell us right away!" She looked down at her shirt. "And I want another shirt for the next kid!" she said, grinning.

Tara nodded, smiling back at her. "Sure, Buffy. And we'll make sure you're the first to know next time too," she promised. Willow looked at her quickly, rapidly shaking her head with her eyes wide. "Um…" she said slowly. "Sorry?" she offered, giving the Slayer an apologetic look.

Buffy blinked, the smile dropping off her face as she looked around at the others who all endeavored to look surprised. "Are you kidding me? Everyone knew before I did?" She stomped her foot. "But it's my birthday! And I'm the last one to know?" She pointed between the two witches. "You guys owe me so big for this!"

Willow smiled cautiously, glancing at Tara. "Well Buffy, we wanted to ask you if you would be the baby's godmother."

Anything else she was going to say was cut off as Buffy grabbed her again, swinging her around excitedly again. "Of course I will! Thank you so much!"

Tara stopped the spinning quickly with a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I know you're excited Buffy, but Willow had morning sickness this morning and you might want to put her down before she gets sick again," she cautioned.

Buffy put her down hastily and put a steadying hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Sorry, Will. Are you okay?" The redhead nodded, looking a little green and Buffy snapped her fingers. "That's why you missed breakfast! I should have known something was up when you didn't even come get some coffee!"

Willow threw her hands up in exasperation. "I do _not_ drink that much coffee! Is that seriously such a big deal?"

The others all looked at each other, shrugging.

"You just look happy I guess," Xander stated. His eye found Tara and he grinned. "I mean, you've looked happy for a while now, pretty much since the day Tara got back." The blonde witch's arms slid around her wife's waist and Willow settled comfortably against her.

"I am happy," Willow agreed. "That doesn't make me look pregnant though."

"You look peaceful," Kennedy stated from her seat on the couch, arm comfortably around Satsu.

Buffy nodded, smiling. "You look complete," she said finally.

And at that moment, with Tara's arms around her and her family surrounding her - Buffy, whole and healthy, Dawn, so grown up and confident, Xander, lacking an eye but with as much heart as he'd ever had, and Tara, her soul mate beside her, she knew that it was true.


End file.
